


A House Reunited

by JennaSW



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Legal Drama, Romance, Sibling Incest, Slice of Life, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2019-07-29 11:58:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 53
Words: 269,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16263752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennaSW/pseuds/JennaSW
Summary: Now in their thirties, Elsa and Anna's lives have split off down separate paths. Elsa has spent the last seven years devoting her life to her law firm, while Anna spent her time on her family and teaching career. With little time for each other and an entire country between them, the two have all but lost touch. One email changes that.





	1. Elsa - Your Payment is Thanks Enough

**Author's Note:**

> A very slow burn with eventual incest. Now on AO3! Sorry it took so long.  
> \----------------------  
> Each chapter will switch perspective between Elsa and Anna, so expect two very different stories intermingling. All Frozen and other Disney characters are the sole intellectual property of Disney.

The platinum blonde stared at the computer screen as it bathed her face in a warm glow. It was nine o'clock, and she had just gotten home from a fairly standard length work day. She was still wearing her dark blue blouse and black skirt and had her hair up in a bun. She was eating some store bought sushi while she went through her emails. Tiana would never approve, but she was out of town for some big event or other, they all blurred together in Elsa's mind.  _I think she's in Tuscon. Or was it San Francisco tonight? She already did the Paris trip, right?_  Elsa tried to recall as she scanned through her emails.

Most of them were just about her current cases. She would deal with those in the morning, her biggest case was weighing heavily on her at the moment and she needed a break from work, that would last until at least 7:30 when she was on her way into the office. An email caught her eye. It was from her sister. She opened it.

"Elsa,

I know it's been a while. I'm sorry we don't talk more. Olaf loved his birthday present by the way, I don't think I ever told you. He hasn't stopped driving that thing since it arrived. You know you spoil him right? When are you going to finally settle down and have your own kid to spoil? Are you even dating anyone? You never told me. Then again, I don't think I've asked before. I'm sorry, what even happened between us?

I'm rambling, I know I am. I had a few glasses of wine. I needed someone to vent to, and everyone else I know is too a part of this to talk to about it, so feel free to just delete it, but I have to get this all off my chest. Kristoff and I are considering a divorce. Things haven't been great for a long while, but we've tried to stay together for Olaf's sake. I don't even know where things went wrong? We don't fight, because we don't even talk. We sleep in separate beds, we never spend time together, it's like I live with a complete stranger. He's barely even a roommate. We just share a house and a child and that's it. How did we come to this? I loved him so much, I thought we'd be together forever. I know you told me that I was too young to know what I wanted, but I thought you were wrong. Why are you always right, Elsa? Why did you have to be right?

Send me a message sometime, okay? I miss you. I hope you read all that, I feel better just knowing that somebody else knows. I needed this, thank you. I hope you're doing well.

Anna"

Elsa stared blankly at the message, at a loss for how to respond.  _I miss you too_ , she thought. She took a sip of her own wine as she finished off the sushi. Tiana would have paired it with sake, but Elsa was fine with the white wine. She hesitated with her cursor over the delete button. _Anna did say to just delete it._  She stopped. She clicked reply and typed a message back to her sister.

"I've missed you too. I'm sorry I haven't been around more, you know how busy my job keeps me. I have to spoil your kid, it's an aunt's job. I don't want children, but I have already settled down with someone. No you have never asked." Elsa winced at how cold she was being, but she didn't change it.

"I'm sorry that you and Kristoff are having these problems. I had no idea, I thought things were going great. I'm glad you were able to vent to me. I'm here if you need it." She hesitated over it, it was woefully insufficient, but it was more words than the two of them had exchanged in almost a decade. She hit send and closed the laptop. She then went to the living room to watch some television before she went to bed. She was several weeks behind on each of the handful of shows she watched, and she managed to make it through two episodes before she had to retire.

When she awoke, she glanced at her phone and saw that it was 5:55. She'd woken up five minutes early. She disabled her alarm and hopped in the shower. By the time she'd finished she was feeling rather awake. By the time she had finished her first cup of coffee she was feeling completely awake. She went to her closet and picked out a dark blue knee length dress and a pair of white high heels, which added three inches to her already admirable height. She had a meeting at ten and she needed to look like the ice queen she had the reputation of being. She'd have their settlement in a matter of minutes, and have time to grab a chocolate croissant before her 11:00.

She pulled her phone off the charger and noticed that she had a new email. It was likely just more work stuff that would wait the hour until she was in the office, but she decided to check anyway. It was a response from Anna. This was a new record, they maybe exchanged an email a couple of times a year, two in a single week was a miracle.

It was from the same day. An even bigger miracle. Elsa hadn't checked her emails again before she went to bed.

"Wow, you actually responded. Wait, you're really dating someone? You never told me about him! Who is he? Tell me everything. I'm still your sister, I know it's been a while, but if you're in a relationship I need to know who. If mine's falling apart, at least let me live vicariously through you, okay? Pretty please?

Thank you for not rubbing it in. I know you never liked Kristoff, but he was a good man. He still is, just because we're not working out anymore doesn't mean he's some kind of monster.

Now seriously, tell me everything. What's his name? What's he do? Does he treat you well?

I love you,

Anna"

Elsa turned white.  _Can I really tell her?_  She and Tiana had been together for almost three years now. Elsa had never found the courage to tell Anna about her. For that matter she'd never found the courage to tell her about Anastasia, Mulan, or Elisabeth either. The coming out conversation had waited fifteen years, it could wait until after work. She closed out of the email, grabbed her bag and a travel mug of coffee, and climbed into her car to begin her commute.

* * *

Elsa arrived at the skyscraper housing Gaston, Philip, & de Ville. It occupied the 20th-22nd floors of the 36 floor white tower, which was covered in windows and Gothic arches, and took up an entire Manhattan block. She parked in the massive underground garage, then used her fob to have the elevator carry her up to the 20th floor.

She acknowledged the handful of coworkers that she ran into on her way, and by eight o'clock she was at her desk, nursing the remnants of her coffee. She logged into her office computer, and decided to finally peruse the work emails that she had been ignoring for the last eleven hours. Most of them were only confirming meetings or other various details which really needed no elaboration. She gave curt responses confirming the exact same details she had already confirmed with every single one of them.

One however was from a name partner of her law firm. Upon reading it she had to read it twice more to make sure that it was real. Her stomach lurched.  _There's no way,_  she thought.  _They wouldn't assign me to that case. That son of a bitch._

She stormed out of her office, up to the 22nd floor, where Gaston waited. His secretary wasn't at her desk, so she pushed open the door to Gaston's office, not bothering to knock. "The hell is the idea?"

Gaston stared at her, a haughty look on his face. "I think that's my line, you're the one that just barged into my office."

"You assigned me to the Thompson case!" Elsa screamed, her face red.

"Oh that," he feigned realization. "What of it?"

"You know exactly what!"

"Are you refusing the case?" Gaston smirked.

Elsa growled. There was no way she'd give him the satisfaction. "Can it. You know I have more than enough cases right now."

"And I assigned you one more. If you're incapable of doing so, then I'll take it as your resignation. If your disrespecting me like this wasn't one already." His calm exterior belied the game. He was only baiting her, she hadn't even begun to upset him yet.

Elsa deflated. She had no leverage in this fight. "Just tell me why."

"You sure you want to know?" he smirked.

Elsa glowered. "Damn right I want to know. What the hell are you thinking? Putting me on this case when I'm-"

The smirk grew ever wider. "Oh but Elsa, that's precisely why."

"You assigned me to the fucking homophobe because I'm gay?"

"Exactly."

"What?"

Gaston took a moment to enjoy the look of shock and fury on the younger woman's face. "It's no secret how I feel about your... kind."

"What, women or gays?"

"Yes. Nevertheless, you've proven yourself to be a more than able lawyer. In five years you managed to make partner. I'm putting you up for equity."

Elsa paused and stared at the man, her fury being quickly overtaken by her confusion.

"I don't like you, at all. I think you cavorting about with your little tryst in People Magazine last year besmirches the good name that I've worked for decades to establish, but you're the best lawyer we've had in years, and quite frankly, you bring in clients." Elsa shuddered at the reminder. Tiana's fame had caused her nothing but trouble. "However I want you to prove yourself. If you can't manage to defend someone you hate, then really, what good are you as a lawyer?"

Elsa's breath left her in one great sigh.  _I should be thrilled at the chance, but just, not this case._  "I understand. Sir," she spat.

"Then get out of my office. Some of us have work to do." She nodded and turned to leave. As she stepped through the still-open door he called after her. "And Elsa, if you're as good as I think you are, you can win this case without establishing any precedent that will hurt more of  _you_  in the future."

* * *

By the time her ten o'clock was there, Elsa had resigned herself to her lot, composed herself, and was even starting to feel a little excited about the opportunity, though this excitement only made her hate herself all the more. She had made many compromises in her life as a lawyer, but this one left a particularly vile taste in her mouth.  _I'm a partner, damn it. I shouldn't have to do this._

She stared across the table at Ed and his compatriots, as well as their lawyer, Mr. Naveen. Elsa's icy blue eyes bore down upon the shorter man as he writhed in his chair. He muttered "As you can see, Mr Scar has failed to pay my clients for the completion of their contract. As such they are due compensation." He gulped. "I believe our request is more than reasonable."

 _Request, not offer. He has nothing._  Elsa responded, sounding magnanimous, "It certainly would appear to be reasonable." Naveen smiled, starting to relax. "That is, if they actually completed the contract."

The younger lawyer stammered, "Of course they have." The three seated next to him nodded dumbly.

"Oh really?" Elsa smirked. She was in her kingdom. Here, she ruled. "Then what about subsection three of article four of this contract, which required that all work be completed by the end of 2015, and subsection five of article seven, which states that the remainder due shall only be disbursed upon the the timely completion of the job? It's 2017, and the job still isn't done."

"That's because we didn't get paid!" Ed shouted. Naveen slammed his hand into his head. He'd lost.

"Precisely, and you weren't entitled to any compensation."

"But Elsa, they deserve to be paid!" Naveen pleaded, rising up from his chair.

Anger flared up in Elsa as she also stood, towering over the younger man. "That's Ms. Agnarrsen. No, they do not deserve to be paid, as they did not fulfill their contract. Out of the kindness of his heart, Mr. Scar was still willing to offer them ten thousand dollars-"

"Each?" Ed's head snapped up, as he looked hungrily at Elsa.

"Total. They can take it, or they can see us in court, but as you can see they don't have a case." Elsa stared down the four before her.

They gave in. The man who had silently observed all of this handed over a check for ten thousand dollars, and Elsa was free to make a run for her favorite cafe before her next meeting.

She arrived at Oaken's at 10:20. The meeting had been over even more quickly than she had expected.  _I needed that,_  she thought as she waited in line. It was good to be reminded of exactly how much she loved her job, especially when she was going to have to defile herself with her upcoming case.

When she arrived at the front of the line, she was greeted by the burly man's usual "Hoo hoo."

"Good morning, Oaken," she smiled. She loved coming here, the smell alone was enough to relax her. It was a fairly small coffee shop, but it had a warm comfy look. There was a fireplace in one corner, and all of the chairs were large leather recliners, that could comfortably seat a person for hours as they nursed a coffee and enjoyed the building's free wireless. Its walls were adorned in various knickknacks from Elsa's home country, and the cafe always felt like home to her. The delicious drinks and pastries didn't hurt her mood either. There was a larger one on the other side of town with a full menu that was run by the rest of the Oaken family, but this one was only a block away from her work. "I'll have a hot chocolate and a chocolate croissant."

"Rough day, then, Elsa?" She normally ordered a coffee to go with her pastry. Oaken knew her too well.

 _I definitely come here too often._  "It could have been better, but I think it's already turned around."

"Well I'm glad to hear that. The hot chocolate's on the house. Would you like marshmallows?"

"Of course. Wait, why is it on the house? It's not like I can't afford it," she laughed.

"When my best customer has had a bad day, what kind of man would I be to charge her for some hot chocolate?"

Elsa smiled at the older man and he beamed back.  _The day really has turned around._ "Thank you, Oaken. I really appreciate that."

"I'm happy to help, Elsa. That'll be just a minute." He turned to make the blonde woman her beverage.

Elsa waited patiently, and noticed a new email on her phone. Before she could open it however, her order was ready. She paid for her croissant and placed more than the value of the hot chocolate in the tip jar. "I'll see you tomorrow, Oaken, have a good day."

"You too, Elsa. Good luck in the shark tank!"

Elsa returned to her office feeling reinvigorated and ready for her eleven o'clock. She had managed to devour the entire croissant on the way back. She rarely ate breakfast before work, so she'd been rather hungry. Belle reached the elevator at the same time as Elsa did. She was a new associate and had only been with Gaston, Philip, & de Ville for a little over a year. She was a good kid, but Elsa doubted her future there. She was very bright and she knew the law quite well, but from what Elsa had seen of her in the courtroom, she had trouble with confrontation, and confrontation was the entirety of their job.

"Good morning, Ms. Agnarrsen," Belle chirped. She was holding a tray of cups of coffee. Apparently Elsa wasn't alone in her opinion. Any of the secretaries would have been much more reasonable for this task, and wouldn't have been wasting as much company money.

"Good morning, Belle," Elsa replied, staring at the numbers above the elevator's door as they counted up to twenty.

Belle searched for words. Before she could find any, the elevator doors opened, and Elsa rushed out.

It was nearing eleven, and Elsa wanted to look over the case file a little more while she enjoyed her cocoa. She weaved her way through the halls of cubicles and past a few other partners' offices before she arrived at her own. She sat down and sipped at her drink while she scanned the files. It was a fairly cut-and-dry case, but it was also a very important client and she wanted to make a good impression.

She was still going over the file when a knock at her door drew her attention. A large muscular man wearing an expensive suit walked into her office. He extended his hand in greeting, "Ms. Agnarrsen? I'm -"

"Mr. Kuzco. Of course, I was just brushing up on your son's case." Elsa stood and took the proffered hand.

"Tell me, do you think there's anything you can do?" He inquired, taking a seat across from the blonde, a mix of fear and resignation clear in his voice.

Elsa tried to reassure him, "I can't tell you that it looks good, but I have won tougher cases. It's largely going to depend on the judge, and what kind of settlement you'd be willing to take."

"Anything that will minimize what he'll have to go through. He still has his whole life ahead of him."

"Of course, Mr. Kuzco. I'll make sure that he serves as little time as we can manage. He didn't hit anyone, I may be able to get him down to only a few courses and some community service."

"Even with the two kilograms of cocaine in his trunk?" his father sighed.

"Well fortunately it was a stolen car, so we can make the argument that it wasn't his, and after the car was returned, and I assume the owner was justly compensated, he has refused to press charges, so it's unlikely that the DA will try to include it as a charge."

"But he still could?" the older man cried.

"I'm afraid so, it's always at the prosecution's discretion."

"I understand." there was still some hope in his eyes, "But you still think you can get him off?"

"I'm not saying that he'll be acquitted, but I'm pretty sure we'll be able to get him down to a slap on the wrist."

"Thank you, Ms. Agnarrsen. I owe you so much," he leapt from his chair in tears, hugging the blonde, as she stiffened in response and tried to pry herself free.

"It's okay. Your payment is thanks enough."

After the brunette managed to collect himself, he bid her farewell and left, thanking her again on his way.  _That went better than I'd expected._

* * *

The rest of her day had passed by relatively uneventfully. She had a few more cases she had to do work for, with some assistance from a few paralegals and associates, but she didn't have any more meetings or court dates during the day. She managed to actually make it home by seven o'clock, for an early evening. She cracked open a bottle of red wine and ordered a pizza.  _In for a penny, in for a pound. Tiana isn't going to approve of anything I've been eating._

While she waited for the pizza, she decided that she ought to respond to Anna's email before she drank too much of the wine. She opened up her laptop while she gingerly sipped at her drink on the leather couch in her living room.

She quickly glanced through her emails and saw nothing else of any immediate importance, so she opened up Anna's incredibly presumptive message.  _Not like I ever gave her any reason to think I didn't like men. Then again, I didn't give her any reason to think I did._

She glared at the screen. After a deep breath and an even deeper gulp of wine, she began her response.

"I really assumed you already knew, as many times as there've been photos of me at her appearances."  _Always have to act like a bitch to her, don't you?_ "I'm dating Tiana Rose. I'm gay, Anna. I know I should have told you at least fifteen years ago. I don't know why I never did. I'm sorry, I'm a complete bitch."  _Yeah you are_. "Things have been going really well with her, we've been together for almost three years now. I love her." She hesitated. "I'd love for you to meet her sometime. I'm sorry I've never introduced you before. I haven't seen her in a few days, as busy as we both always are, and as much as she has to travel for work, but things have actually been really good between us.

I'm really glad you emailed me. I wish we talked more often. I love you, Anna."

She hesitated with the cursor over the send button. A strange urge was welling up within her. Perhaps it was the burden that she had just finally removed from her shoulders after over a decade, or perhaps it was how Anna had used her to vent the day before. She resumed typing.

"I have this case I've been assigned. I know I've done a lot of questionable things in my career, but what Mr. Gaston is making me do now is too much. I don't know if I can make myself do it, or if I can live with myself if I do. How ridiculous is that, I've defended murderers before, but this fucking homophobe is too far?" _I never curse around Anna. "_ I just need to know, am I really just a bad person?"  _Don't send this, you sound like a whiny asshole._  She clicked send.


	2. Anna - Just Like My Freshman Year

A cry sounded out in the darkness, its voice frightened and pleading. Anna stirred, unable to place the strange noise, a mess of red hair blocking what little vision she had in the dim room. The cry sounded again and Anna jerked up. Adrenaline flooded her system as recognition hit her.  _Olaf!_

She threw on a bathrobe as she rushed out of her room. Something was wrong, and she was going to find out what. She had to protect her baby.

In seconds she was at the door to Olaf's room, the light from his nightlight brightening the hall outside his door. She heard footsteps coming from another direction, but ignoring them she pushed open the door and charged in. She saw Olaf crying on the bed, clutching his plush Charmander, his blond hair sweaty and matted.

"Mama?" he asked, his voice raspy and thick from his screams.  _How long had he been crying before I woke up?_

"It's okay, Olaf. I'm here." She crept over to the bed and held her son in her arms, rocking him back and forth. "What happened?"

"The monster was gonna get me! It grabbed me! I was so scared, Mama! Don't let it hurt me."

Tears fell from her eyes as she held her child closer. "It's okay, Olaf. I'm here, the monster can't get you. It was just a dream." The footsteps halted in the hallway, hesitating.

"But it felt so real! I remember everything! It hurt Lilo and then it was coming for me! It grabbed me with its tentaclaw! I was scared, Mama. It was gonna eat me!" His body shook as his sobs resumed. "Don't let it get me, Mama!"

Anna ran her fingers through his straw-colored hair as he cried. When his tears slowed, she pulled his head back to look into his teal eyes, little mirrors of her own, as she insisted "You're safe. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere." She planted a kiss on his forehead.

He nuzzled gently against her. "But it was so real!"

"It was just a dream. I'll be right here, go back to sleep."

"You promise?" He pleaded, tears threatening to spill forth once again.

"I promise, Olaf. I'll be here the whole time. Just lay back down and close your eyes."

He did so, clutching Charmander tight as his mother wrapped a blanket around him and resumed stroking his hair.

The other footsteps grew louder again as a large blond man rushed in through the door. "What happened?" Kristoff asked.

Anna stared back at the man, her face a mess of emotions. "It's okay, he's fine now. Go back to bed."

"He's my kid too, Anna, I want to be here for him."

"Daddy?" Olaf asked, stirring.

"It's okay, slugger," Kristoff smiled. "I'm right here," he rested a reassuring hand on the boy's back as he curled into his blanket.

Anna stared at the man.  _What are you even thinking, Anna? Trying to throw Olaf's father out of the room when he just had a nightmare. He needs us both, you can't be selfish here._ "Kristoff," she began.

"Anna, stop. I'm here for our son, I'm not trying for anything more," he sat on the bed, facing away from the redhead, his hand still resting upon their son's back.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to stop you. He needs you too."

A pained smile contorted Kristoff's face. "Thanks." He hesitated for a full minute before finally asking, "What happened, Anna? We used to be so happy. Now I barely even see you. Do you know how hard it is to barely see someone you live with?"

Anna did know precisely how hard it was; she had been intentionally avoiding him, and the task had not been an easy one. "We just don't work anymore."

"Did I do something? Anna, I'm sorry for whatever I did. I just want things to be good for Olaf. I love you, Anna."

Anna hesitated, staring at the Power Rangers themed rug on the floor at her feet. "Not in front of Olaf, Kristoff. I don't want to upset him," she looked at the child's gently snoring form, "or wake him."

Kristoff stared blankly at her before nodding his assent. "Tonight? Over dinner?"

Anna faltered. "Tonight, I'm eating with some friends though, so after dinner."  _Great, now I really need to find a friend free for dinner tonight. Why couldn't I have just agreed to dinner?_

"Good," he smiled back emptily, petting his boy's back. "I've got him if you want to go back to sleep."

Anna stared into the hallway, wishing that she could take him up on that offer. "No, I promised him I'd be here. I'll stay, you go get some sleep."

Kristoff stared back at her, looking for any further meaning in her blue-green eyes. Finding only fear and pain, he slowly nodded. "Okay, I'll let you be. I'll talk to you tonight." He glumly loped out of the room, leaving Anna with their son and her thoughts.

Anna woke up a few hours later, the sky still dark outside. She was still in Olaf's bed, holding her child, as he in turn held the stuffed fire Pokemon. She planted a kiss upon his head and slid away from him. As much as she hated to leave Olaf alone, it was very likely time to go to work.

Upon reaching the bathroom, the clock on the sink counter read 5:00.  _Good, I'm not running late._  She brushed her teeth and showered, then began to work at the mass of tangles that was her hair. After almost five minutes of brushing, it was finally neat enough that she could put it into a reasonable bun instead of having a strange mass of ruddy matter atop her head.

She dressed in a neon green blouse with a floral print skirt and finished it off with pink ballet flats. Her loud outfits were all she had left of her old job, and she was going to keep them. She wandered back into Olaf's room and kissed his forehead. He had dropped Charmander at some point while she was getting ready, so she picked him up off the floor and placed the toy into her son's empty arms.  _I hate leaving him after that scare he had last night._ Kristoff would take him to school, as he always did, so she knew that she didn't have to worry, but she still felt like she was breaking her promise. "I love you" she said, and received a sleepy murmur in response. A fond smile lit up her face as she walked to her car.

When the pink Kia pulled into the parking lot of the high school at seven in the morning, Anna's slight sense of cheer had been replaced with a sense of dread. Of all the recent changes in her life, the new school was by far the worst, even worse than losing Kristoff was looking likely to be. As she stepped out of the car she looked more like an inmate walking into a prison than a woman walking into the job she'd dreamed of having her entire life.

The back of the building by where she had parked had several broken bottles on the ground and poor examples of graffiti on the wall, nothing coming close to the art that adorned some of the buildings when she'd last visited Elsa in New York eight years ago. Several teenagers were smoking and she greeted them with a glower. The smell of tobacco and marijuana filled her nose. One of the students flicked a cigarette butt at her, leaving a stain of ash on her blouse.

She inhaled in a loud huff, placing her hands on her hips and began, "And just what do you think you're doing, young man?"

"Smoking," he snickered back, his friends joining in the laughter.

"And how old are you?" Anna asked, leaning forward slightly, as she attempted to look down at the boy who was her exact height.

"Eighteen," he tried.

"Really? Because you're in my freshman class, Hiro, so I think that would be an awfully impressive feat. I suppose I'll simply have to ask your mother. I'm sure she'll know if you're really eighteen."

His face grew pale. "You wouldn't!" he stammered.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" She retorted, all of her contempt for the recent events in her life showing in her voice.

"Please, Mrs. Bjorgman, don't tell my mom!" He begged, his eyes starting to water.

Anna cringed at the name. "Apologize for flicking your cigarette at me and ruining my clothes."

"That shirt was already ruined," one of the boys replied.

"I'm sorry," the one she was addressing insisted. "I was just being dumb. I'm so sorry, Mrs. Bjorgman. It won't happen again."

"Will I catch you smoking again?"

"No, ma'am," he sputtered.

"Will you be late for my class again?"

"No, Mrs Bjorgman, I promise."

"All right, then I won't tell your mother, but if you break your word, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to give her a phone call. " He nodded his ascent. "The same goes for the rest of you," Anna added, as she continued inside, wiping at the mark on her blouse with her thumb. She felt powerful, it was the closest thing to happy she'd been at this new school. It also felt gross. She tried to ignore that part, and continued to her classroom, now risking being late.

* * *

The bell sounded exactly as she walked through her door. Her class was already sitting in their seats, half asleep. She knew how they felt.  _Nap time?_  "Did any of you do your reading?" Half of the class muttered something that sounded vaguely like yes. This likely meant no.  _Well, they are actually ahead of schedule. We made it through Romeo and Juliette really quickly._ "All right, since none of you read it, we're going to all take turns reading out loud. Do I have any volunteers?"

A skinny boy wearing a large pair of round glasses raised his hand, as he always did. "Go ahead, Timon," Anna allowed, since no one else seemed keen to read.

He began to read a page of Good Earth with an exaggerated Chinese accent, prompting several other students to roll their eyes. "Now Timon, you know that that's offensive."

"But I'm just trying to be funny, Mrs. Bjorgman," he pleaded.

Anna managed to avoid wincing, "Making fun of other people's accents isn't funny, Timon. How would you like it if people made fun of your voice?"

"They do!" Timon insisted.

"And do you like it?" Anna reasoned.

"No," the boy sighed. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Bjorgman."

The class resumed taking turns, Anna calling upon people whenever no volunteers offered themselves, until the end of class. They had finished both the chapter that was due that day, and the one for the next, so they didn't have any homework except for their weekly journal entry that would be due on Friday. Anna released them when the bell rang, and proceeded to endure the rest of her day.

After several more classes full of rambunctious youngsters, and several more boring books Anna would have never read nor expected students to read if the school board didn't force her, Anna had time off for lunch. She chewed pensively on the salad that she had packed, and messaged several of her friends and coworkers, attempting to find out if any of them were free for dinner.

Nani was, as ever, busy, Giselle had plans, and both Gogo and Milo never got back to her. A few minutes after she'd sent the message out, a dark skinned, raven haired woman swooshed into her classroom. Stealing a piece of Anna's salad with her bare hand, Esmeralda announced "I'd love to, where'd you wanna go?"

Anna stared at the Romani woman before her. "I don't know, I just need to do something, I'm feeling so cooped up of late."

Taking another piece of Anna's salad uninvited, the music teacher inquired "Oh, is something going on with you and Kristoff?"

Tears threatened to spill forth as Anna choked on her reply. She wanted to lie, to pretend that it wasn't so, but she'd already confided in one person, what more harm could telling another cause? The deed was already done. "Yes. We're splitting up, and he wants to talk when I get home. He wants to try to fix things."

"Oh my god, I'm sorry, Anna. I had no idea! What happened? Did he sleep with Nani?" Esmeralda's mind tended to wander off on random fancies.

"What? No! I mean, I sure don't think so. Things have just been falling apart for a long while. It's no specific thing. I just," she hesitated, "I don't love him anymore."

"Oh," Esmeralda gasped. "How about sushi?"

Anna almost had whiplash from the one minute conversation, "I don't really feel like sushi. Maybe Mexican?"

"I could go for some tacos." An idea struck her. "Do you like Greek food?"

 _I'm not sure I've ever had it._  "Sure."

"Then I know the best Greek place in town. Thanks for the salad, feisty-pants, I'll see you for dinner," Esmeralda wandered away.

Anna stared after her, feeling as confused as she always was after talking to the younger woman.

* * *

When lunch ended, Anna's freshman class filed in to the room. Hiro was the first to enter, and he sat quietly at his desk, waiting for the lecture to begin. Once the bell had rung and the rest of the class took their seats, Anna stood before the blackboard. "All right, I hope you're ready for today's test." She was answered with a chorus of groans. "You've known this test was coming for over a week, you have no excuse not to be ready."

"My mom ate my homework," a redheaded kid named Kion joked.

Anna rolled her eyes and continued, "The test is open book, so if you've actually done the reading, you shouldn't have any trouble finding the answers. Raise your hand if you have any questions." She sat down at her desk and nursed an apple juice she'd snagged from a vending machine. The class worked quietly, while Anna checked her Facebook. Giselle had tagged her in a number of images about what it's like to be a teacher. Anna tried not to laugh as she went through the notifications.

On the fourth image, a chuckle fell from her lips, and Anna stared out at the class wide eyed, as some of them turned to her quizzically. Anna ignored the looks and switched to playing some puzzle game that she was terrible at.

Just as she lost a level, one of the students turning in their tests asked her a question. She hadn't been paying enough attention, so she closed out of the game and turned to look at the pale girl with black hair and red lips. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Anna asked.

"What's your name going to be?" The young girl asked, smiling sweetly.

"What?" Anna stared at her, confusion evident upon her face.

"I heard you talking to Esmeralda earlier-"

"That's Ms Agnes," Anna corrected.

"She says to call her Esmeralda," the girl continued. "I heard you telling her that you were getting a divorce. So what should we call you?"

Anna's face went red. Whether through genuine caring or malice, the young girl had just announced her personal business to the entire class. Almost every head stared up at her, several of the boys eyeing her like a piece of meat.

"Mrs. Bjorgman?" the girl asked, waiting for an answer.

"You're getting divorced?" A girl in the back called.

"So you're single?" a boy in the front inquired.

"What happened? Does he beat you?" Kion checked.

Hiro smirked slightly. Tears filled Anna's eyes, threatening to spill forth. "That's none of your business," she insisted.

"Is it Mrs. Bjorgwoman then?" the fair girl before her chuckled.  _The bitch._

"No talking during the test," Anna muttered, trying to collect herself.

"We're just concerned about you, Mrs. Bjorgman," Hiro insisted.

"Focus on the test or you'll be getting a zero."

"But I already finished it," he smiled wickedly.

"We just want to know that you're okay," the black haired girl reasoned.

"We have to keep our teacher safe," Kion chipped in.

The tears were quickly escaping from their captivity in the corner of her eyes and sliding down her face.  _I hate high school._  "Stop asking about my personal life, sit down, and be quiet or you're getting detention."

The girl smirked. The damage had already been done. Anna excused herself to the restroom, trusting the class to not cheat in her absence. She sat in a stall and cried.  _This is just like my freshman year all over again._ She dabbed at her eyes with toilet paper.  _Some teacher you are, letting your class bully you like that._

After several minutes of crying, she managed to compose herself and splashed some water on her face. Her reflection looked ghastly, but she had left her purse in the classroom and had no way to attempt to conceal the red of her eyes.  _Hope those little wretches didn't steal my wallet._ She marched back to the classroom, her head held high, and found it empty.

All of the tests were piled on her desk and her purse was where she left it, completely untouched, and it was only five minutes before the end of the class. She couldn't reasonably explain why she had left her class unattended during a test, and she was never going to admit that her students were bullying her, so she decided that there wasn't anything she could do about it. She grabbed some concealer from her purse and did her best to salvage her appearance before the bell rang.

Her remaining classes were uneventful and when the day ended at 2:45, she took only a few minutes to tidy up before making a dash for her car. She had nowhere to be until dinner, but she couldn't stand spending another minute in that building. Tears spilled forth again once she was safely behind the wheel.

* * *

After texting Esmeralda that they would meet at six, Anna went to pick up Olaf from kindergarten. His classes ended at 2:30, but they allowed pickup until 3:30.  _It only works because Kristoff drops him off before his work and I pick him up after mine, how am I going to do this on my own?_ She was of course ignoring the school bus as an obvious solution so that she could wallow in her own self-pity more.

When she arrived, Olaf's teacher, Mrs. Fitzherbert, greeted Anna warmly. She had taught at Anna's old school and the two had been somewhat close, but Anna had trouble concealing her resentment over Rapunzel receiving the better new job when they had been redistributed throughout the city. "Good afternoon, Anna. Olaf's over there playing with Lilo." She indicated the blonde boy, who was building a city of blocks while his best friend destroyed it with a dinosaur doll.

"Olaf, it's time to go home," Anna announced, sparing only a nod for her old friend.

"Okay, mama. Bye, Lilo, I'll see you tomorrow," he chirped, hugging his friend tightly. To her credit, Lilo did not bite him this time.

"Bye, Lilo," Anna bid the young girl farewell as she escorted Olaf to her car.

As she drove, Olaf chattered from his booster seat in the back. "Mrs. Fitzherbert taught us so much today, Mama. We were learning to write the letter M, like moo. Lilo and I kept mooing! Mrs. Fitzherbert started to get mad, but she kept laughing every time. She also taught us that the Earth um, goes around the sun, but I already knew that from when you took me to the – what was that place called?"

"The planetarium?" Anna offered

"Yeah, Mama! The planerium! But I liked the mooing more. Then we did math. Math is hard!"

"I know it is, Olaf."

"Moo!"

Anna smiled back at her son in the rear-view mirror as she drove them home. When she pulled into the driveway, it was almost four, and Olaf bounced out of the car. One of his cartoons came on at four, and he was determined not to miss it. Anna opened up her laptop on the recliner next to the couch that Olaf was sprawled upon, and checked her emails while Olaf watched his cartoon.

"Can I have a snack, Mama?" Olaf asked, the theme song sounding loudly from the TV.

"No, honey, you'll have dinner after your daddy gets home," Anna replied, scanning through the messages.

"Please, Mama!"

"No honey," she concluded the discussion as the song ended and Olaf settled in for the show proper.

A new email arrived, her computer announcing it with a ding. It was from Elsa. She opened it.

As she read, her mouth ran dry and the blood rushed to her head. She felt dizzy.  _How had she never told me? I have lots of gay friends- wait, no I actually don't. How do I live in Portland and not know any gay people? Do I just not seem like the type of person you could tell that to? Well clearly I don't or else Elsa would have told me. Why didn't she tell me? I wasn't homophobic or anything. Was I? I mean I don't recall ever being so. I'm pretty sure I was always pretty cool about that stuff. Would I have been weirded out by it? Why wouldn't she trust me?_

 _Wait, what if she liked me?_ Anna paused, astonished with her own absurdity.  _She's your sister, that's ridiculous. But if Elsa is gay then anyone could be gay! How did she even know she was gay? What if I was gay? Would I ever know?_

_I mean I have a husband I lo- oh, no I don't. But I like men! What am I even thinking, of course I'm not gay. Doesn't it often run in the family though? I mean there is at least a genetic aspect from what I've heard about it. If one sibling is somewhere in the LGBT community then it's likely that another one is. It's no guarantee though, I mean I'm definitely straight. If I was straight would I even be questioning it? That's just silly, I'm just surprised that my sister's gay and am going off on tangents like I always do._

Her thoughts were interrupted by her husband returning home. The garage door's loud sound stirred her from her reverie, and his walking into the room cemented the loss of that train of thought. "You two have fun, I'll see you tonight, I'm meeting Esmeralda for dinner!" she announced, before Kristoff had a chance to say anything, rushing out of the house.

* * *

Anna sat at a table in the restaurant. Esmeralda and she had agreed upon Phil's. It was the best Greek place in town and its prices were pretty reasonable. It was 6:15 and Esmeralda was still a no show. Anna was beginning to grow worried that she was being stood up.

"I'll be there in five, sorry," her phone announced in a text, after a brief chirp.

Ten minutes later, Esmeralda was there. She gave Anna a great big hug and kissed her cheek, then sat across from her. "How's it going?" she asked, helping herself to the bread the waiter had brought out while the redhead had waited.

 _How do you think?_  "Complicated," she replied coolly. "How about you?"

"Well my girlfriend and I broke up last week, so not horrible. We'd been going out for a whole month, I've never really been one for the whole going steady thing," Esmeralda informed her indifferently.

Anna stared at the younger girl.  _Seriously, why does no one tell me that they're gay?_ She tried to remain nonchalant. "Wait, you're gay?" She failed.

Esmeralda stared at her. "No, why?"

"You just said you broke up with your girlfriend," Anna tried, confused.

"Yeah, I did."

Anna gaped at the raven haired beauty.

"Oh, you didn't know I was pan?" She asked, taking a sip of the water the waiter had just set in front of her. "I'll have the lamb gyro," she informed the waiter.

He turned to Anna, "Oh, um, I'll have the salmon." He nodded silently and walked off, presumably in the direction of the kitchen, but Anna was still too busy staring dumbfounded at Esmeralda to notice. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Well I kept flirting with you, for starters," Esmeralda retorted.

If it was possible to grow any more dumbfounded than she had already been, then Anna was surely there. She was unable to formulate an answer to what the other woman had said, capable only of looking blankly into her green eyes.  _Do I find her cute? How do you even know if a girl's cute? Would someone who likes girls not know that?_

Esmeralda giggled and took a larger drink of her water. "I really do love this place. The food isn't the most authentic, which is strange since Phil is actually from Greece, but the atmosphere is just right."

"You were flir-" the rest of the younger woman's words finally caught up to Anna and she saved herself from finishing that sentence. "You've been to Greece?" This woman was just full of surprises.

"Oh yeah, I've been everywhere. I spent a summer in Greece when I was eighteen. Dropped acid with some locals and had some of the best food I've ever eaten. Of course, it turned out it was actually a bale of hay, and believe me that stuff never gets out of your teeth."

The most interesting experience Anna had that could compare was the pot brownie she ate in college. It had been fun, but she would have rather just had a regular brownie, the pot ruined the taste. "That's some story," she managed.

"I'm sure you have plenty of your own. I mean hell, your sisters dating probably the most famous lesbian in the world, family reunions have to be interesting at the very least."

 _Did literally everyone except for me know?_ "You know about Tiana?"

"Yeah, she's kinda famous."

"No, I mean you know that she's dating my sister?"

"Yeah, I saw your and Elsa's pictures together on Facebook, she's in a lot of magazines with Tiana. She goes to a lot of her restaurant openings and stuff. I think I even saw her interviewed on TV once. You never saw any of that?"

"No, I just found out my sister was gay two hours ago!" Anna screamed, attracting the attention of all of the other patrons. She put her hand to her mouth, her cheeks growing red.

Esmeralda stared at her. It was finally her turn to be the dumbfounded one. "How didn't you know?"

"What do you mean?" Anna coughed back, trying not to cry.

Their food arrived, and Esmeralda took a large bite of her gyro before replying. "Mmm, this is delicious. I mean you never met any of her girlfriends or anything? Never caught her with some porn?"

Anna only shook her head.

"Huh. Weird." She stabbed a fork into Anna's fish and took a bite. "Not bad. Fish is definitely not what I come here for, their lamb is amazing."

Anna stared at her plate, her mind too full of thoughts to even begin to consider food. "How did you know?"

Esmeralda looked at her blankly. "That Elsa was gay? I told you."

"No, how did you know you were gay? Pan, I mean," Anna asked earnestly.

"I just always knew. I mean I liked girls, I liked guys, I liked nonbinary people, what's not to like?"

Anna nodded slowly. "So if you don't know then you're just straight?"

"I mean I guess that depends on the person." Esmeralda chewed Anna's words along with her gyro. "You think you might be gay?"

Anna looked back at her, confusion plaguing her features. "I don't know. I've only ever been with Kristoff. I don't know what I liked, it never even occurred to me that there were other options until Elsa confessed her sexuality to me earlier tonight."

"So you've never been attracted to a girl?" She held her gyro out to Anna, who took a hesitant bite of it, chewing carefully.

"Okay, wow, this is really good," she admitted. "But no, I don't think I have. I mean how do you even know? I don't know if I've ever been attracted to anyone that wasn't Kristoff. Maybe even anyone at all. Is that a thing?"

"Well I mean you could be asexual. Or hell, if you're thinking you may be gay you could be a deeply closeted lesbian. You're gonna have to figure that out yourself."

"How do I figure it out?"

Esmeralda looked at the older girl curiously. She was clearly resisting saying something. After a moment she decided against it. "Take your time, let yourself be without Kristoff for a while, figure out what you want." She took another bite of Anna's fish. "And hey, feisty-pants, if you decide you're gonna go the sapphic way, I'd be more than happy to help you figure things out."

* * *

Anna returned home from dinner even more confused than she had been beforehand. As she walked in through the garage, she heard the sound of Olaf playing on his Nintendo Switch in his room. She went to the kitchen to grab a water bottle from the fridge and heard someone clearing their throat behind her.

She turned and saw Kristoff. She had completely forgotten that she'd promised to talk to him after dinner.  _I guess I can't put it off any longer._  She sat down at the kitchen table across from him. He was nursing a beer, with an empty bottle sitting next to it on the table. "Hi," she tried, unsure of what to say.

The heartbroken look in his brown eyes filled her with a sense of guilt. "I miss you."

She considered his words.  _Do I miss him?_  "I'm sorry."  _I miss having a friend to talk to after my day. I miss sex. I miss a warm body holding me tight at night. But no, I don't miss him. I don't know why, but there's just nothing there. Fondness, perhaps, but not love, and not missing. Missingness? Great, being an English teacher is getting to me._

"Will you at least tell me what I did?" he begged.

She wished that she'd grabbed a beer herself instead of her water. It would be much more conducive to this conversation. "You didn't do anything, Kristoff. I don't know what's wrong, but I've felt this way for at least two years now. I just don't want to be with you anymore."

"That's not how things work!" He insisted, love expert that he was. "When you really love someone things can always work out. I love you, Anna, and I know you still love me."

Anna looked sadly at Kristoff, she knew the words were going to hurt him, but not saying them would only make him believe that things could still be salvaged. "I don't love you."

He stared at her for a long minute. She didn't say anything more. After what felt like an eternity of his eyes boring into her own, he stood up, chugged the rest of his beer, and walked off, slamming his fist into the kitchen's door frame as he headed for the stairs.

* * *

As Anna performed her pre-bed rituals – brushing her teeth, moisturizing, and the like, it occurred to her that she had never actually replied to her sister's email. A pang of guilt hit her at this realization.  _I'm so self-involved I couldn't even let my sister know that everything was fine after she bared her soul to me._

When she was finished berating herself and preparing for bed, she grabbed her phone and opened Elsa's email. She sent her a reply before setting her alarm and laying down to sleep. "I'd be lying if I said that it didn't hurt that you never told me our entire lives. I want to tell you that you knew that I would have supported you, but how could you have known? You were practically my mother at that point and you had more than enough on your plate. I shouldn't have expected you to shoulder that burden and I was so obsessed with my own relationship that I never even tried to find out if you were in one. At least I got Olaf out of that. I love you, Elsa, who you love doesn't change that. Though you have me really wondering if I'm gay too, I mean if I was dumb enough to not notice that my sister was gay, then I am clearly not smart enough to know what the hell I am. I think I'm joking, maybe. Partially.

You're not a bad person, Elsa! I don't know what this case is about, but nothing could ever convince me that you're a bad person. It's like you told me back when you were first considering law school, everyone is entitled to a defense. It doesn't matter if it's the worst person in the world, it doesn't matter if it's civil or criminal (those are the terms, right?), everyone deserves to be represented. You providing that representation does not make you a bad person. You are not the person you're defending, you're you, my amazing, beautiful, brilliant sister, the best damn lawyer in the world. Nothing will ever convince me otherwise. I've missed you so much, I'm glad we're talking again.

All my love, and a million apologies for not being there over the years,

Anna.

PS: I would love to meet her, I mean of course I would, she's Tiana Rose, who wouldn't want to meet her?"


	3. Elsa - Equity Here I Come

Elsa sat at the defendant's table in courtroom 3C, of Manhattan's County Courthouse. Next to her sat a skinny, nervous-looking man. He was fidgeting and had already drained half of the water pitcher before them. Elsa nursed her own water, while she went back over her notes for her opening statement. The prosecution had just finished theirs and had successfully painted the younger Kuzco as a dangerous sociopath intent on causing mayhem and spreading cocaine to all of their children. Fortunately, she'd never known Peter to be able to compete with her in the courtroom, even with a case as cut and dry as this one.

The honorable Judge Maleficent turned to her, "Any time now, Ms. Agnarrsen."

Elsa stood from her seat, leaving her notes on the table, and sauntered over to the spot between the witness stand and the jury box. "Ladies and gentleman of the jury," she began, "My esteemed colleague has raised a number of very compelling points. Truly, he has painted my client as a monster. He insisted that he stole a car, while incredibly intoxicated, and intended to sell over four pounds of cocaine while in a state in which he could barely walk. He makes my client sound like a criminal mastermind. Please, take a look at him," the jury looked between her client and the prosecution. "He's an idiot." Kuzco started to defend himself, but surrendered immediately under her cold gaze. Peter smoldered in his chair. "The prosecution hasn't even charged him with stealing the vehicle, it was his friend's car, so it was not unreasonable for him to borrow it. He had had a few too many drinks, and yes, he should be punished for that –by all means, suspend his license– but he didn't hurt anyone; he barely made it two miles before crashing into a sign post. There was simply no way he could have possibly been aware of the drugs in the trunk. It wasn't his car. I'm sure at least a few of you have been drunk before, do you think you'd have had the presence of mind to check the car you were borrowing for illegal narcotics? Of course not; give me two beers and I'm already forgetting my purse." The jury laughed. "Mr. Kuzco made a stupid mistake. He admits to that, and he is truly sorry. He does not deserve to spend the next thirty years in prison for this mistake." Several members of the jury nodded in agreement. "I'm not asking you to forgive him, I'm not asking you to condone his behavior, but just look at this man, does he look like he could possibly have the intent to do anything?" She gestured towards her client, her hands stretched just wide enough that her pinky almost seemed to indicate Mr. Pan as well. "Of course not, he's an idiot." This was answered by more laughter from the jury. Peter jumped from his chair as if to object, only to pause when he wasn't sure what objection he could make. A slight smile rose on Elsa's lips as she walked back to her chair.

Mr. Pan glowered at her from his seat at the other table. She had made similar remarks to him back in law school after he had completely forgotten the entirety of his affidavit in mock trial when he was on the witness stand. He had almost been in tears afterwards. _Anna is definitely wrong about my being a good person._ He had been an expert witness for the defense in a case about a woman who had killed her abusive husband. He couldn't recall what Battered Woman's Syndrome was. He had only described it as a woman who was beaten. It completely ruined their defense and cost them the trial.  _Idiot was putting it gently._

Several minutes passed with Peter only staring straight ahead, lost in thought. Eventually, Judge Maleficent had to ask, "Mr. Pan? Are you going to call your first witness or are you just going to keep admiring the witness stand? Sure, it's a very lovely stand, freshly polished, but it's a bit more impressive with someone in it. How about you at least give yourself something more dynamic to stare at?"

He glowered back at the judge, but stood and cleared his throat. "Right, of course, your honor. The prosecution calls," he faltered for a minute, Elsa's words echoing through his head. "The prosecution calls to the stand, Mr. Pacha Alvarez."

After a moment, a large man in an ill-fitted suit appeared in the witness stand. "Hey," Pacha greeted the court room.

The bailiff swore him in, and the direct examination could begin. "Mr. Pacha."

"That's Mr. Alvarez, Pacha is my first name, dude," the man retorted.

"Right, Mr. Alvarez, where were you the night of the incident?"

"At home? I don't know, it was a couple weeks ago. I was probably hanging out with Kuzco."

Pan stared at him, barely able to focus on his words, but reasonably confident that they were not helping him. "I have it in your statement that you were..." he thumbed through pages, unable to find the one he was looking for. As he searched he knocked several of the pages onto the floor. He picked up a section that seemed to relate to his case from its resting place at his feet and continued, "And I quote, 'playing Call of Duty with my bro, Kuzco'."

"That sounds like me," Pacha agreed.

Peter stared at the affidavit, this wasn't the right page. He couldn't find that one that said that Kuzco had left. "And was Kuzco there the whole time?"

Elsa objected and Peter gave her a frightened stare. "Your honor, he's leading the witness."

"Mr. Pan, please rephrase your question."

He looked blankly at Pacha, his mind racked with doubts from Elsa's opening speech. He searched desperately for an open-ended question. "How would you describe the accused?"

"The movie or Kuzco?"

"Kuzco."

"He's my best bro. I mean we didn't start off great, but now we hang out all the time. He'd never hurt a fly, he's just a big fluffy teddy bear."

The redhead closed his eyes in pain and contemplation. "Your honor?" he addressed Judge Maleficent.  
"Yes, Mr. Pan?"

"May I have a moment to discuss a settlement with opposing council?"

"I believe that would be wise." She called a recess.

Peter led Elsa to a conference room just outside. "You have some nerve!" he squeaked as she shut the door.

"Yes, yes I do," Elsa agreed, staring down at the ginger. "Your point?"

"That was uncalled for! It was so unprofessional. You were just trying to rub the past in my face! You think just because I've made mistakes before that I'll make them again!"

"All I did was make my opening statements, not a word of that was untrue of Kuzco, and it certainly wasn't directed at you. As for making you repeat your mistakes, quite frankly if you forget your testimony as expert witness in this trial, I'm going to be very confused."

"Well your opening statement was just mean! And it was pointless anyway, none of what you said had any legal standing." he fumed.

"Then why have you called me in here?" Elsa smirked.

Peter glared up at the blonde, hating her for her ability to control people. "Just because the jury liked what you said doesn't mean they'll ignore the law in this case. It doesn't matter if he knew it was in the car, it was still in his possession."

"Aw, you did actually learn something in law school. Nevertheless, intoxication is a reasonable defense, and diminishes much of his crimes, save of course for the DUI. Even if, as you're convinced, the jury does see reason, they won't believe that he had any intent."

Peter scowled. "So what do you want?"

Elsa's smirk grew. "You're the one that called me in here, tell me what you're offering."

"Ten years, intent to distribute."

"Don't be absurd, even if you won, he'd be unlikely to even serve five years. He'll pay a fine of $100,000, lose his license until he completes the standard classes, and serve two months in jail."

Peter stared into the cold calculating eyes of his opponent. He wanted desperately to take something from her, but as mad as he was, she would only trip him up more as the case went on. There would be another chance. "200,000 and a year. Final offer."

"150 and six months," Elsa allowed.

Peter gritted his teeth in frustration, but nodded. "Fine."

"I have a good relationship with Judge Maleficent, she'll accept this agreement. I'll go give my client the good news, and I'll give you a moment to compose yourself." She left the room, leaving a red-faced lawyer behind her, his hatred ignited anew.

Elsa was correct: Maleficent had agreed to the terms, happy to be rid of the trial. The younger Kuzco burst into tears. "You said I wouldn't be locked up! You said everything would be fine!" he sobbed, glancing back and forth between his lawyer and his father, uncertain where to focus his anger.

The senior Kuzco clapped a hand upon his son's back and looked warmly at the lawyer. "Ms. Agnarrsen, I have to say, I am very impressed. You're even better than Albert told me you were." He took her hand in a strong grasp.

Elsa faltered.  _Gaston was talking me up to clients?!_ Collecting herself, she replied, "I'm glad I was able to help. I'm only sorry I couldn't do more."

"Please, six months and $150,000 is a small price to pay for the vast mistakes my son made. I can only hope he learns his lesson from this."

"Fat chance!" the younger Kuzco shouted as he was escorted away to serve his time in the county jail. His father only watched the procession coolly.

* * *

While she waited at a light on the way back to the office, Elsa re-read the email her sister had sent her the night before. It was nowhere near the response she had been expecting. She had expected confusion, rage, and pain. She supposed she'd seen all of that, but it wasn't directed at her.

Tears had filled her eyes as she'd typed her response, almost blocking her view of the screen. "I love you, Anna. You have no idea how much it means to me that you think I'm a good person. I only wish I could believe it too. I'm so sorry for keeping all of this from you. I promise, when things are settled at work, Tiana and I will visit. I'm sure I can even get her to sign as many things as you want. You're practically her family.

I'm sorry for making you question yourself. I wish I could answer your questions for you, all I can say is that I always knew I was gay, but I've known plenty of women who didn't realize until later in their lives. No matter what you end up learning about yourself, I'll still support you, and I promise I'll support you better than I have these last few years. You will always be my little sister (unless your self-discovery involves gender identity, then you'll be my little sibling of that gender). I'm here for you while you sort this out, and if you never manage to figure yourself out, that's fine too."

Anna still hadn't replied. She only hoped that her sister was okay. She was going through far too much right now for one person to handle, even as strong-willed as Anna had always been. Elsa reminisced affectionately about her sister bullheadedly resisting her every rule. Even at the time she couldn't hold it against her; she would have reacted the same way. Anna would break curfew, spend the night at Kristoff's, and in general do whatever she wanted to do. At least, unlike Elsa, she had actually had a way of grieving instead of keeping it in.

A honk from behind her brought her back from memory lane to the very real road that she was currently on. The light had finally turned green and she continued on her way.

* * *

After returning to her office, Elsa began looking over the Thompson case. She had a meeting with the client before the end of the day, and she had very little to tell him yet. Forcing herself to research ways to prevent that monster from paying even a pittance for the life he ended was too much for her. However, she wasn't going to make equity without it, and if she didn't make equity then she likely wouldn't be around for much longer. Non-equity partner is almost always a temporary position and even if they were willing to keep her as one, it was not a position she wanted to maintain. Before she retired here, she was determined to see her name above the door.  _Gaston, Philip, de Ville, and Agnarrsen does have a certain ring to it._

After several hours of going through all of the facts of the case and any precedent she could find, she was startled by a knock at the door. "Come in," she called, presumably to Mr. Thompson.

A fat, balding man, with high cheek bones and an ostentatious walk, entered the room. "Ms. Agnarrsen?" He asked, extending a limp sweaty hand to her.

She took it, firmly, almost crushing the older man's hand in her grasp. "Mr. Thompson."

"Please, call me Alistair," he offered, as she finally released his hand and he cradled it gently.

She did not return the courtesy. "All right, Mr. Thompson, we have a lot of work to get through before your court date next week."

"Alistair, please," he repeated, taking a seat in front of her desk.

Elsa sat down and, cringing, resumed, "Alistair, I think the most important thing I can do is to prepare you for what to expect." She was going to enjoy this part. "If you break under cross-examination, there won't be much I can do to save you."

"I'm not as weak as you think I am," he insisted, still cradling his hand.

"Then this won't be a problem. Let's begin, I shall act as the plaintiff, and you'll respond. If what you said will hurt your case, I'll let you know, and you can rephrase."

"Shouldn't we start by going over my statement?" he replied, worry clear in his tone.  _Or maybe it's fear,_  she thought, hiding a wolfish grin.

"I've read your statement, you should be fine. I don't want you to sound rehearsed during direct, it's better if it comes from the heart," Elsa explained, though the real reason was just that she wanted to make him suffer as much as she could while still winning the case.

She shuffled some files, trying to look as if she was getting into character instead of just letting herself be honest. He nodded his ascent. "You have a conversion therapy practice, correct?"

"I do, I fix people who believe-"

"A simple yes, don't give more answer than you need to."

"Oh, okay."

"Would you describe for the court what that entails?"

"Yes."

"Actually answer that one, don't try to play smart."

"But you said-" he sputtered.

"That's why we're working out the kinks. Continue."

"People that believe they are homosexuals-" Elsa cringed again. "Come to me for help. So they can get themselves back on God's path. I help these poor, unfortunate souls correct their behavior, teach them how to stop being gay, how to learn to accept being with women, or men if they're a woman. I teach them to stop dressing up, or to stop thinking of themselves in some  _wrong_  way."

Elsa's anger flared up. "So you delude these people into hiding who they are?" she almost screamed.

"Of course not, I teach them to accept the limitations of who they are. To realize that what they're letting themselves believe is wrong."

"And you yourself were one of them?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Answer the question," she growled. "You were a  _homosexual."_  She emphasized the word, as if it was a dagger she was plunging into the man's chest.

He appeared flustered. "I used to be. Yes. I used to be a lot of things. Now I've learned the error of my ways, and I try to help others do the same."

"What else did you used to be?" she asked, already knowing the answer. It had surfaced quickly in the iota of research she had managed to do before his arrival.

"I was a drag queen," he sobbed. Elsa didn't bother to indicate the tissues on her desk. "I used to perform at a gay club in town under the name Ursula Lagoon, is that what you wanted to know!?"

Elsa couldn't manage to hide her smile. "Try not to have an outburst like that in the courtroom. It won't make you look good."

"I don't like bringing it up," he sighed, tears still dirtying his face.

"Lagoon, is that a pun on the author?" she asked, trying to distract him from his suffering enough that their preparation could continue.

He nodded hesitantly.

She continued, the glee disappearing from her face as she began working earnestly, her sadism satisfied. "Have you had much success with your patients?"

"Define success," he said hesitantly, weary of any traps.  _Perhaps this case isn't unwinnable._

"Have many of your patients managed to put an end to their  _sinful ways_  and begin a  _proper, heterosexual lifestyle_ "? The words came out choked; she hoped he hadn't noticed.

"Of course, many of my patients have." A smirk crossed the man's hideous face. "Why, are you interested in being a patient?" He had done his research as well.

Elsa glowered at him, wishing desperately that she could slam her fist into the hateful visage before her. Instead she ignored him. "Have you had any other patients commit suicide before this one?"

"I don't know if I'd even call Mr. Hawkins a patient. He hadn't had a session in months. Clearly it was not showing up for therapy that killed him."

Elsa's cold gaze cut into the man and he sputtered out something that wasn't even words. She responded, "The facts there will help your case, but your attitude will not, if you can't seem at all contrite about a former patient killing himself, then I can assure you the jury will not like you, and if they don't like you, they will want to see lots of your money go to Mrs. Hawkins. So work on that."

A look of contrition crossed over his face. He was a surprisingly good actor.  _Of course he'd have to be, he pretends to be straight all the time._ "I am so very sorry for her loss. My words were thoughtless, it is always heartbreaking when someone reaches that point, I only wish he would have let me keep helping him, we were really making some progress."

Elsa's face went blank.  _Wow, I really might win this case. Equity here I come,_  she thought hatefully. "That will work. Include that in your previous answer and you should be fine."

They spent the next several hours plotting their nefarious schemes. Elsa was becoming increasingly confident of her victory in this case. The facts were, tragically, on her side. New York had not outlawed conversion therapy, Jim Hawkins had never revealed any suicidal ideations to his therapist, Mr. Thompson was actually a licensed therapist, and he had several clients willing to testify for him. Elsa only had to be able to stand in the court room, looking at the mother of this poor child, and say that this monster had done nothing wrong. It wasn't the worst thing she'd ever done, but it sure felt like it.

They concluded around seven o'clock. Elsa had declined to order food for the two of them, so she was rather hungry by the time she arrived home. Tiana had left her several pre-prepared meals, and she had been ignoring them the entire time she had been gone. She loved her girlfriend's food, as did the whole world, but sometimes it was nice to have a break. She had already had one for lunch and she popped another into the toaster oven when she arrived home, after throwing her blazer onto a coat hook. There were still two more in the fridge, but at least she didn't look like an entirely ungrateful bitch now.

When the toaster oven dinged, she grabbed the meal from it and sat before the TV with a glass of red wine. The food was chicken Marsala with roasted potatoes and carrot strings, and its scent made her mouth water, but it was still too hot to eat. She started a show on Netflix and lost herself in it while the food cooled. Once it was ready to eat, she felt even worse about the fact that she had been ignoring the meals; the food was amazing—there was a reason Tiana was one of the most famous chefs in the world.  _I should really appreciate her more._

When the show ended, she washed the plates in the sink and poured herself another glass of wine. She couldn't recall if Tiana was supposed to be back tonight or tomorrow, but it would likely not be until late. Usually when Tiana was out of town, Elsa would fall asleep alone, then wake up with Tiana lying next to her, sleeping soundly.

Her glass of wine accompanied her back to the couch as she watched another episode of the show. She should be doing more research on her case —she should be doing anything— but her dealings with both Pan and Thompson had thoroughly worn her out. She just wanted to relax.

She had barely finished her second glass of wine and was considering a third when she heard the door open. Footsteps sounded in the foyer, accompanied by the sound of a suitcase being dragged across the floor. When she stood up and looked back towards the door, she saw the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen.

Tiana was standing there, clad in a black pinstriped pantsuit, her hair down, brown eyes gazing longingly at her. She had already taken her shoes off. She looked exhausted, but seeing Elsa had granted her a renewed energy. "I took an early flight home," she said by way of greeting, her Southern accent barely noticeable. "I missed you."

Elsa hadn't even realized that she'd crossed the room to her girlfriend when they wrapped their arms around each other. She felt the younger woman's lips on her own as they held each other tight.  _God I've missed this woman._

"I missed you too," she finally said, when their lips parted. "I'm so glad you're home. How was your trip?"

"It was really good. The new Tucson restaurant had a fantastic opening night,"  _so it was Tucson_ , "And the new episode I appeared on should be airing next week. I wish you could have been there, it's always so much easier facing these things when you're with me."

"I know, honey, I'm sorry. I've just been so busy with work," Elsa insisted, still holding her.

"I know. I just hate going on those shows alone, everyone else has their husbands either on the show with them or off camera waiting for them, I know I can't expect you to always be there with me, your work matters too, but I still hate it."

Elsa kissed her again. "Have I told you lately that I'm proud of you?"

"You probably have, but I could go for it again."

"I'm proud of you," Elsa smiled.

"Sorry I didn't call while I was gone, it was basically nonstop work, if I wasn't cooking I was making sure other people were cooking right, or telling people how to cook, or signing one person's breasts. That one was weird," she laughed. "I have such a strange sort of celebrity, I'm never sure if I'm famous for my cooking or for being a lesbian."

"You're famous for being a famous cook who fucks women. The cooking kind of had to come first."

"That's true. How have you been? I know it's only been four days, but it feels like so much longer." She ran her hands down the older woman's pale arm, exposed past the short sleeve of her dress.

"Things have been crazy. Actually there's a few things I have to tell you," Elsa informed her, savoring her touch and returning it.

"Oh?" Tiana asked, concern stealing her smile. "What happened?"

"It's good, well mostly, don't worry." Tiana relaxed, as Elsa took her in another embrace, then led her to the couch. "Well first off, I may be making equity partner. If I can win the case I'm currently on, then Gaston is going to put me up for it."

"That's fantastic!" Tiana squealed, melting into her. "You've worked so hard for this. I knew you could do it."

"Unfortunately the case is defending a conversion therapist."

"Ah," Tiana sighed, hesitating. "I know how hard that must be for you, I can't say I'm okay with it, but you have to do what you have to do. I admire your work ethic, I don't know if I could do it if I was you."

"I don't know if I can either. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure I'm going to win." They both sighed again, their emotions mixed. "But on the bright side, I've been talking to Anna."

"Really?" Tiana turned to face the blonde, her eyes wide.

"Yeah. I even finally came out to her."

"I don't know how she didn't already know," Tiana teased, running her fingers through Elsa's hair.

Elsa looked lovingly at the younger girl as she leaned against her touch. "But she took it really well, well mostly well. She's kinda freaking out, she's going through a bad divorce now and she's starting to be really confused about her sexuality, and I don't know what to tell her. I'm not sure if she's just looking for something to distract her, if she's just so overwhelmed by my telling her, or if she just never really had the opportunity to question it when she was younger and it's finally hitting her."

"Anna's a strong girl, I don't think she's freaking out over nothing. There's probably something there. I mean being with Kristoff all those years she probably never really had a chance to question it." The rest of Elsa's words caught up to her. "Wait, they're really over? What happened? I mean I know it's been almost five years since you last saw them, but you always made them sound like the perfect couple. They've been together for, what, fourteen years? I can't believe it's all just falling apart."

"Yeah, that was how I reacted too. I was always sure that Anna and Kristoff were just a constant, that nothing could change that. Apparently, in all that time, Anna just fell out of love."

"Think it's because she's gay?"

Elsa chewed her lip contemplatively, "I'm really not sure. I never really got that sense from Anna, but it's not like I was looking for it."

"Well for some reason I never met her, so I can't say," she glared playfully at Elsa. "But hey, better late than never. She still has time to figure herself out, and you'll be there to help her."

"I told her she could meet you."

Tiana's eyes lit up and a huge smile bloomed on her face. "Really?"

"I love you, Tiana, I'm pretty sure we'll be together forever, I want you to meet my sister."

Tiana flung her arms around her, kissing the older girl's cheek, neck, and lips. "Well then she'll have  _us_  to help her."

Elsa ran her hands down Tiana's back, her nails tracing her skin through the thin fabric. She yearned desperately to be closer to the other woman. In the same instant, the two stood up and Elsa's hands darted to the buttons on the front of Tiana's blouse, while Tiana's went to the zipper on Elsa's back. Their lips met again, and they kissed feverishly, their tongues caressing each other, as their fingers continued their frantic work. Their dance continued up the stairs to their bedroom. At one point Elsa pushed Tiana against the wall in a passionate kiss as one of their bras hit the floor, neither one could be sure whose. By the time they made it to the bed, their house was littered with their clothes. Several hours later, physically and emotionally exhausted, the two fell asleep.


	4. Anna - Empathy, Not Condemnation

Anna stared at her computer. The sun's earliest rays had only just started to peek over the horizon, and the house was quiet, save for the gentle murmurs of the sleeping boys. She had just finished reading Elsa's email for the third time. She was holding back tears only because she had already done her makeup and did not want to ruin it before she left for work.

 _Gender identity?_ She had Googled everything. She was familiar with all of this stuff before, but only from an outsider's perspective.  _I don't think that's what this is about, but how can I even know? I don't know if I've really been gay this whole time, would I know if I was really a boy this whole time? What if I was neither? Esmeralda already said I could be asexual, what if I'm also agender? Come on, Anna, if you were really that complex, you would have known it by now!_

The clock in the corner of her screen read 6:30. If she didn't leave now, she would be late; there would be time for introspection later.

She arrived in her classroom at 7:10, and made a few last minute preparations before class started at 7:30. After the students had trickled in, she began her lecture, but her mind was barely on the lessons, as she pondered over her sister's email and her own research, as well as Esmeralda's input.  _And her offer._  Anna tried to clear her head as she lectured, going over the reading, discussing sentence structure, and in general boring herself to tears.  _Did she really mean that? How did I never realize that she had a thing for me?_   _Have I ever missed anyone else having a thing for me? I mean, I must have, since the only crush I've ever actually noticed was Kristoff, and that was only because he explicitly used the words "I have a crush on you and would really like to kiss you sometime."_ A student raised their hand, and she called on them, her mind still wandering as she answered their question.

Before she knew it, her lunch break had arrived. She thought about visiting Esmeralda, but quickly grew too nervous. Then it hit her: Giselle ran the school's Gay-Straight Alliance. Giselle had gone through her own divorce, so Anna could go in there and talk to Giselle about what was going on with her and Kristoff, and then while she was there, inconspicuously, interrogate the children as to how they knew they were whatever shade of queer they were. The plan was perfect.

Her slightly off-beat shave-and-a-haircut rung out on the closed door of Giselle's classroom. Her friend called out "Come in," and Anna did as she was bid. "Oh, Anna!" Giselle cheered, "I haven't seen you in ages, come, sit."

The classroom had several students sitting around it discussing various topics and eating their lunch. There were eight students, currently seated in two groups of three and one group of two. Anna couldn't quite make out what any one group was saying over the sounds of the other groups talking, but it didn't seem to be any giant revelations, they were simply discussing their lives. Clearly eavesdropping wouldn't be enough, and she would have to actually try talking to them after she talked to Giselle.  _Wow, I sound like such a creeper._

Anna sat next to the other redhead, a nervous smile plastered on her face to meet Giselle's bright and genuine one. "Hey, Giselle," she announced, "I've been, well, I don't even know. Um, you know how you and Edward divorced a few years ago. Well, um, I may be doing so too. I mean with Kristoff, not with Edward, obviously. I'm just scared, I've been with him for almost my whole life, I don't even know who I am without him. How did you even manage? Oh, and how are you? I haven't seen you in a few days. You still good? You and Jack still doing well?"

Giselle stared at her, sipping at a cup of tea, a sandwich sitting in front of her, untouched on a plate. She set her tea down and took in a deep breath. "Anna," she started, trying to sort out her words. She hesitated, then pulled her friend to her in a tight hug, almost dragging her off of her chair. "I'm sorry. I've been so crazy busy these last few days, if I knew this is what you were going through I wouldn't have ignored you yesterday. I feel awful. You're my best friend. What happened? Did he cheat on you? Was it Nani?"

"No! Why does everyone keep asking that?" The club had all turned to look at her and she flushed a bright red.

Giselle instructed the students to stop eavesdropping. "I mean, I just assumed. Nani is there so often, and I can't imagine why else you would leave him, I mean he's perfect for you." A pang of guilt struck Anna. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened. We've just been together for fourteen years, we were different people when we met, and there's just nothing there anymore." She considered Kristoff's behavior the previous night. "At least not on my side."

"He still loves you though?" Giselle asked, her heart breaking for the poor blond.

"Yes, he does."  _Dammit, I wanted empathy, not condemnation._ "He wanted to talk about us and see if there was anything we could do to fix everything, but I just don't want that. I feel terrible saying it, but I just don't want to be with him anymore."

"Have you started looking into getting divorced yet?" Giselle inquired, letting her friend off the hook. She cared about Kristoff, but Anna was hurting enough without her adding to it.

"Not yet, I think I'm going to ask Elsa about it, unless you have any ideas."

"Well, your sister's a lawyer, probably a good resource to use. Edward's and my divorce was expensive, so just don't do what I did. I probably spent more money than I'll ever receive from alimony."

Anna nodded, glad to at least have someone agree with her on something. "But enough about me, how are you and Jack doing? You never said. We can commiserate about my divorce after I plan it out with Elsa."

Giselle lit up with an innocent smile that made her look ten years younger. "He asked me to move in with him!" The class all turned to look again. "He's just so dreamy. I know he's kinda weird, and he's so tall that kissing him is awkward, but he's just perfect. He has that same optimism you and I have always been teased over."

"I know, Giselle, I've met him," Anna teased.

"But you don't  _know_  him. He's just amazing! Oh, I want to gush about him all day, but I don't want to be so mean, I know what you're going through, I shouldn't do that to you."

Anna sighed and looked at the club. "I thought she'd told you not to eavesdrop," she joked.

The latina girl sitting next to the blonde in the only group of two, looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, we didn't mean to, you just both keep shouting."

The two redheads' cheeks grew to match their hair. Anna decided to take advantage of this opportunity to talk to the club members. "I suppose we did. I don't think I recognize you, are you not in one of my classes?" She asked of the dark-haired girl.

"Oh, no, I have Mr. Frederickson instead. Naomi has you as her English teacher though," the girl indicated the blonde next to her, "and she says that you're fantastic. Mr. Frederickson just makes us read to ourselves and take tests. He's the worst."

Anna's embarrassed blush was replaced by one of flattery. "Well I'm glad you like my class, Naomi. You're one of my best students." She recognized the blonde from her sophomore advanced English class. She had earned an A on every assignment so far.

Naomi brightened and the other girl kissed her on the cheek. Anna started.  _Why am I surprised? This is the gay club! It would be weird if they weren't dating._ "So you two are together?" she asked, trying to conceal her excitement.

"Yeah, this is my girlfriend, Elena," Naomi explained. "That's not a problem is it?"

Anna was unsure if the girl was asking out of fear or rebellion. "Of course not." She hesitated. "Do you mind if I ask you two a question?"

Elena looked unsure, but answered "No, that would be all right."

"How did you know? I mean, how did you know that you were gay? Or bi, or whatever."

Elena looked startled but tried her best to answer the question. "Well, I was pretty sure I was gay when I saw this cutie here and couldn't stop staring." She patted her girlfriend's leg. "I'd never really been attracted to anyone before, I didn't really know what it was like, but after a week of being unable to get her out of my head, I was pretty sure. Why?" She eyed the teacher suspiciously.

Anna avoided her gaze as well as her question. "What about you, Naomi?"

"Well, my parents knew when they went through my internet search history," she laughed, "But I just always knew. Even when I was five, I was flirting with other girls. We'd play house and I'd be the husband so I could have a wife. It was just something that was part of me, I never really questioned it."

Anna chewed over the girls' words. Giselle stared at her, trying to figure out what was causing her normally strange friend's extra-strange behavior. "Do most people just know? I mean, is it always that obvious?"

Elena stared harder at the redhead, Anna's eyes still failing to meet hers. "Like I said, I didn't really know. I mean it only seemed obvious in hindsight, I'm sure if I hadn't examined my feelings so much, I wouldn't have known how I felt about her." Realization struck her, "Is that why you're leaving your husband?"

Anna sputtered and fell out of her chair. She stared in shock at the young girl, finally meeting her gaze. The class didn't even laugh at her, they were rapt, attention completely focused on her, waiting for an answer. "No, of course not. I mean, I don't know. No! Not that I'm not, I mean not that there's anything wrong with it. I mean my sister's a lesbian, I'm fine with it. I don't think I am. A lesbian, I mean. I am fine with it. I mean even if I am it's not why I'm leaving Kristoff. Not that it's any of your business that I'm leaving Kristoff! I don't know!" Anna cried, tears falling to the floor as she scrambled to her feet.

Giselle took her friend by the hand and led her into the hallway, away from the gazes of the club. "Anna, get a hold of yourself."

Anna took a few deep breaths and stared into her friend's blue eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"You didn't mean to interrogate my students and then start crying and screaming on my floor? I would sure hope not." She hugged Anna, wiping dust off of her clothes. "It's okay. I mean, it was kind of creepy, but it's okay. You know there are groups for adults, right? You don't have to try to take advantage of one for kids."

"There are?" she asked, wiping her eyes, relieved that Giselle wasn't mad.

"There's a center in town that has done some outreach with the club, I think I have a flyer, wait here a minute and I'll go grab it."

"I can come in and get it," Anna insisted, her eyes now mostly dry.

Giselle looked hesitantly between her friend and the door to her classroom, but allowed it.

As Giselle headed for her desk to find the flyers, Anna looked out at the students. "I'm sorry. This club is about you, and I shouldn't have done that."

Elena smiled. "It's okay. We're happy to help. You just have to understand, it's different for everyone, we can't figure out who you are, that's all up to you."

Anna nodded. Giselle returned to her with a flyer. "Here, I don't know when their adult groups are, but I'm sure you'll find people that are going through similar stuff. That doesn't mean I'm not here for you, you know I always am, I just don't know how to help with this. I'm happy to listen, but I've never gone through it."

Anna hugged her friend tight and the hug was promptly returned even tighter. Anna's ribs creaked, but Giselle's hug reassured her and pulled her back together. The tears had finally stopped flowing. "Wanna grab dinner tonight? I just hate eating at home right now. I'll bring Olaf," she added to sweeten the pot.

"Sure," Giselle answered, "I'm always happy to see Olaf. I guess you can come too," she grinned.

After she returned from Giselle's classroom, Anna waited nervously in her own to see if her class would show their faces today.  _What if they don't come? What would I do? I can't just tell the principal that my class is refusing to attend. Yes, they'd get in trouble but they're my responsibility and I'd probably be in far worse trouble. The little shits. I can't believe they did that!_

_You're the one that ran off to the bathroom, crying! Well they were mean to me! Anna, you are an adult. You're thirty years old. They are fifteen-year-olds. You have to be the responsible one, you have to actually stay in your classroom, or at least find someone to cover when you have to leave, you can't just let them get away with whatever they want._

_So I'll make them pay! No, we are not plotting vengeance against high schoolers. But they're really mean! Anna, think things through, just keep your head down for a few years here and you can find your way back to an elementary school in no time, you don't want to get yourself a reputation as the crazy teacher who couldn't keep her own class in line._

Said class was now sitting in their seats staring at her. She'd been so busy arguing with herself that she hadn't even noticed them enter.  _I hope that wasn't out loud._  "Well, class," she announced, trying to make herself look slightly sane. "I've graded your tests and you all passed, so provided that there is not a single mention of what happened yesterday ever again, I will forgive your running out early." She offered. It was a weak offer, but she didn't want to start a war with her class. She was too worried she'd lose, which would just be too embarrassing.

Kion looked up at her with a puzzled expression from his seat near the middle of the class. "Mrs. Bjorgman, are you all right? We were only worried for you yesterday, but when you never came back we figured we should just turn in our tests. I tried to find you."

He sounded genuine. Other than trying to be a bit of a class clown he didn't seem to have the same viciousness that others in the class had. Certainly not like  _her. "_ Forget it," Anna replied. "Let's move past that. Did everyone complete last night's reading? I realize I wasn't here to remind you, but it was still in your syllabus, and I've told you all several times when everything is due."

The usual chorus of grumbles echoed back from the class. Anna had grown skilled enough in interpreting teenage grumbles to realize that, surprisingly, at least some of them had.

"I'm glad you all did your reading, because it's time for a pop quiz."  _I can still have a little bit of vengeance._

Hiro had been glaring daggers at her this entire time, and his glare intensified at the spectre of a pop quiz. "You didn't say anything about a pop quiz!" He shouted.

"First off, Hiro," Anna began, "that's what makes it a pop quiz. Second off, you don't know what I may have said at the end of class yesterday, as you weren't there. So everyone put your books away, you can only have a pencil on your desk. I'll hand out the quiz."

In all of her time spent trying to figure herself out the previous night, she had not had any chance to plan a quiz for her students, or even to do any grading. She had however, arrived just early enough at school that she had the opportunity to run all of their tests through a Scantron and find a particularly difficult quiz for the chapter they were supposed to have read from a teacher resource website. It was not the vengeance that she wanted, but it would have to do.

Every single student groaned as they were handed the quiz. It was six pages long, with 18 short answer questions and two essay questions. Kion looked particularly hurt when she passed out a copy to him. However when she handed a copy of the quiz to the pale girl who had caused her so much trouble the day before, Anna was prepared for the worst.

The girl stared at her, looking like she may not even take the paper from her instructor. Her red lips parted as if to say something, but after a moment, they only narrowed into a slit of a snarl. She and Anna had clearly made each other enemies for life.  _Look at me, arch enemies with a teenager, clearly I'm doing something right._  Her face formed a smile as she finally took the paper with a bow. "Of course, Mrs. Bjorgwoman, whatever you wish. I already did _all_  of the reading."  _The little bitch._

"Well that's very nice, I'm glad you're reading ahead. You're such a good student." Anna stared down at the girl, her teal eyes flashing with barely-hidden disdain.

"I'll tell my step mother you said so, she'll be so pleased. I always tell her how you're my favorite teacher." She began to put her name on the test.

"Keep the tests flipped over until everyone has one, no writing." The girl glared at her and set her pencil down. "I'm glad you think so highly of me. Your step mother has been very concerned about your progress in this class, but I've only told her how much of a perfect student you are. I'm glad you have such an active parent in your life."

"Of course, she's the best. She deserves my heart, she cares so much." The girl feigned a fond smile.

Anna smiled back and continued to hand out copies of the quiz. When she was all done, she instructed the students to turn their papers over and start writing. Quizzes weren't worth a terribly large portion of their grade, so any vengeance would be quite petty, but Anna was still savoring it.  _Yeah, big woman trying to scare a bunch of children._

When the bell rang, most of the quizzes were still unfinished and students scrambled to attempt any unanswered questions. The problem children had of course already finished theirs, and Anna had no doubt that they had performed spectacularly.  _Dammit._

The remaining quizzes were all thrown on to her desk as the class filed out. Anna graded them all as her next class had some silent reading time, and she was very annoyed to find that her assumption had been correct. Most of the students that had actually been causing her trouble were her best students and had actually done their reading. She felt someone staring at her as she finished grading.

Anna looked up from the papers to meet Naomi's gaze. She was standing before her desk, looking nervous. "Mrs. Bjorgman?" She asked.

"Yes, Naomi, what is it?" Anna asked, hiding the anger from her voice.

"We all finished the chapter, did you want us to keep going?"

She hadn't meant to take so long grading. "Oh, no, that's fine. We'll have a class discussion. Was there anything anyone had any problem with in the reading?'

"No, I think we all got it."

"Then I'll just help you all get ready for the test," Anna smiled, remembering that she actually liked teaching. The remainder of the period was spent going over themes, characters, and every other detail that the test was likely to cover. Anna had already decided on the makeup of their exam, so she made sure to guide them to the proper subjects. By the time the bell rang, she was quite certain that they could all pass the test next week if they'd paid attention, even though they still had a few more chapters to go before then.

Her last class of the day was AP English. As usual, it consisted of going over an incredibly boring book that Anna had barely understood with students that seemed to have grasped it easily and who made her feel absolutely stupid. It was always a horrible way to end the day. _It was like living with Elsa all over again._  She tried to shake that thought. Her sister never meant to make her feel stupid. It just didn't change the fact that she so often did precisely that.

Finally, 2:45 struck, and she was free to tidy up and to pick up Olaf. The thought of seeing her son re-energized the redhead and rid her of some of the strain of the day, as well as the greater strain of her major quandary, which she'd finally managed to put out of her mind for a little while in all of the other commotion.

* * *

She found Olaf and Lilo in their classroom together with Nani. She must have arrived just a minute or two before her. "Hey," Anna announced, joining them.

Nani gave her a quick hug then replied, "Hi, sorry, running late. Have to buy groceries, get dinner started, then drive Lilo to rehearsal. It's great seeing you, sorry I wasn't free yesterday."

"Nani, wait" Anna gripped the Hawaiian woman's arm as she started to run off with her sister in tow.

She turned back to her, looking confused. "What is it, Anna?"

"Could we talk? I mean, I really need to."

Nani faltered, she stared at her friend, perplexed, "Is something wrong?"

"How about I go grocery shopping with you? Kill two birds with one stone? I could use some stuff too. Olaf and I are having dinner with Giselle—"

"We are?!" Olaf chimed in, excitedly.

"You two are welcome to join us I'm sure, but I could really use this. I've barely seen you in almost a month." Anna pleaded, her hand still on the other woman's arm.

Nani slowly nodded, looking down at Lilo, who had started to wander off. "Lilo, get back here, we're going to the store. I swear, I can't take my eye off of you for a second!"

The four of them gathered in their two cars and made their way to Costco. It was a good bit out of their way, but Nani always bought her groceries in bulk, she hated having to do it more often, since she could never find the time. Anna was growing increasingly worried that this is what life would be like for her very soon.  _It's not like Kristoff won't still be around. I'll have weekends off, or every other week, or something. She has to do it all on her own. Just like Elsa did._

They arrived, Olaf squealing with delight. "Can I try all the samples, mama? They don't even stop you from getting more than one!"

Her child's childlike glee always made her feel better. Anna took Olaf's hand as she met up with Nani by the entrance. She found her stopping Lilo from trying to cause a grocery cart stampede. "No, Lilo, you can't release all the carts to run over the other shoppers!"

"It's survival of the fittest!" the girl screamed, trying to shove at the carts while her sister held her back.

Nani instead raised her off of the ground and placed her in the baby seat of one of the carts. "No, it's time for grocery shopping."

"This seat is for babies!" Lilo screamed.

"Then don't act like a baby and I won't put you in it!" Nani screamed back.

The two locked eyes, both waiting for the other to blink. "I'll behave if I can walk with Olaf," Lilo finally conceded.

"Good. No destroying things!" Nani insisted, placing Lilo next to her friend.

Lilo and Olaf promptly ran past the greeter to go look at electronics. Nani and Anna tried to follow after them, but had to stop so that one of them could show their membership card. Several minutes later, they finally caught up to the five-year-olds, who were patiently watching the new Star Wars on one of the televisions inside.

Anna and Nani both internally debated scolding the children, but this was precisely the least amount of trouble they could have caused, so it was difficult to be too upset. "All right, Olaf, Lilo, want to go hunt down samples?" Anna asked cheerily.

"Those samples won't know what hit them. They'll need to mount a whole army in their defense, but I, General Lilo, and my lieutenant, shall overcome the odds and obtain the food!" Lilo announced, leading her friend in a charge to the nearby sample stand, where they were able to relieve the local forces of their stockpile of pigs-in-a-blanket.

The two guardians watched on as they did their shopping, but the children didn't cause any trouble other than pretending to shoot lasers at the employees, who almost all good-naturedly surrendered food items before dramatically dying. Only a few ignored the children's game, with only one actually growing irritated, but no further problems arose.

"So, Anna, are you going to tell me what's going on?" Nani finally asked as they looked at giant boxes of cereal.

Anna hesitated for a moment. She'd been trying for two years to keep all of this bottled up, but it had become abundantly clear that that was no longer working, and she had committed herself to telling her friends. Actually doing so however, was still more than a bit unnerving. "Well, first off I'd definitely say go for the Rice Krispies, Lilo does not need the extra sugar." The girl had just scaled the cereal shelves while they were speaking. "And that Kristoff and I are getting a divorce, I'm actually talking to my sister again, I'm starting to freak out that I'm not sure what my sexuality is or if I've ever been attracted to anyone at all, another woman seems to like me, and I'm losing control of one of my classes and I'm not sure what to do. How about you, how've you been?" She smiled meekly.

Nani stared back at her friend. The redhead's hair was up in a messy bun today and only made her smile look more awkwardly adorable. Nani fumbled for words. Before she could find any, Lilo knocked down a box of Frosted Flakes. Nani was barely able to catch it before it hit the floor. "Lilo, if you don't get down from there this instant, you're going to be grounded until you're twenty-four."

Lilo sadly climbed to the floor as Nani replaced the box of cereal. "I'm sorry, Nani. Olaf and I needed to find a new dilythium crystal for our ship."

"I thought you were conquering the samples. You don't need a warp drive for that." Nani replied, kneeling down to talk to her sister.

"But we're full now, so we needed to go off in search of new life!"

"You're full! We're having dinner in three hours."

"I'll be hungry by then!"

Nani stared down at her sister. "Stay on the ground, the ground is the bridge. Off the ground is the neutral zone."

"I don't think you understand scale," Lilo retorted, but she agreed.

Nani turned back to Anna who appeared to be oscillating rapidly between an amused expression and a terrified one. "Anna, I," she had never found her words. "I don't even know what to say. I'd definitely noticed that things were a little odd with you and Kristoff of late: only one of you would ever bring Olaf over at a time, you didn't seem as close, and I don't think I'd seen you two kiss in ages, but I had no idea it had gotten that bad already."

"You noticed all that?" Anna had really thought she'd managed to keep everything hidden. No one else had seemed to know.

"Anna, I'm your best friend, of course I knew. I mean, I've lived with you before. I know what you're like. I don't know how you thought staying in the dorms was a good idea instead of just getting an apartment with your boyfriend, as I have seen Kristoff's penis almost as many times you as you have." She laughed. "That boy did not like clothes. It's been 12 years, I notice things. Though I have to say, I don't recall you checking out any other girls. Where is that whole thing coming from?"

"I don't know!" Anna screamed in the middle of the store.

"We're suppose to use our indoor voices," Lilo informed her as she and Olaf finished repairing their warp drive.

"I don't know, Nani. Elsa finally came out to me yesterday, and I've just been going crazy. It's had my mind going all over the place. I don't know who I am. All I've ever known is Kristoff. I got together with him because he liked me and that made me feel good, I never really thought about if I liked him too. I just knew that I should so we got together and then everything would magically be perfect. How do I even know if I was really attracted to him? Or anyone else? And now I've found out that Esmeralda has apparently been flirting with me for ages, and I didn't even know she swung that way either!"

Nani attempted to process her friend's explanation. It was somewhat of a Herculean task. "How did you not know Elsa was gay?"

"What?"

"I mean, you're friends with her on Facebook. I know they don't have their relationship status posted, but I'm friends with her on there too. She has posted pictures of her and Tiana kissing. Like she doesn't post often in general, but she's not closeted at all."

Anna stared at her in confusion.

"Seriously, how did you not know?"

Anna sighed. "I don't follow her. We're friends, but I don't see any of her posts. I just got tired of seeing all of her success, and just 'cause we didn't talk or anything. This week is the most words we've exchanged since I left home."

"Oh." Nani let out a sigh of her own. "Okay, so do you like Esmeralda too?" She asked, finally moving on from the Elsa conundrum.

"I don't know," Anna squeaked.

"So you're just going to go from being unhappy in a relationship because you don't even know if you like the person, because you only started dating them because they liked you, to dating someone else because they like you and you aren't sure what you feel for them?" Nani crossed her arms and stared down at the shorter woman.

Anna blinked. "No! I mean, I don't think so. I wasn't going to just go and date her!"

"Oh, so just a one-night stand then?" Nani asked. "Yeah, go right ahead, you could definitely use to get laid, girl. How long has it been?"

Anna gaped up at her friend. "What? I've never even had a one-night stand before, let alone with a girl!"

"But Mama, you have a night stand in your room," Olaf reminded her helpfully.

Both women turned red. They had just said a lot more around their children than they had meant to, though fortunately, it seemed to have all been lost in translation. "That's right, honey," Anna agreed. "Thank you for reminding me."

They stayed silent as they finished their grocery shopping. Olaf and Lilo's ship had at some point during their conversation come under attack by Klingon Warbirds. The two children kept violently rocking back and forth, frequently right into the grocery carts, as their ship was bombarded by phasers and photon torpedoes. Against all odds, the Federation ship somehow managed to survive, when Olaf had suggested that they focus phaser fire on the enemy's shields so that they could transport photon torpedoes directly onto the other ships. Kristoff watched the show with him a lot, and that was what had happened in the last episode they'd seen together.

Their ship safe and their groceries purchased, Captain Lilo and Commander Olaf of the USS Enterprise led the way back to the cars. Nani and Anna hugged, promising to text more on the subject, so that the brave officers could not overhear anything more, and went their separate ways.

After dropping off the groceries at home, Olaf and Anna continued on their merry way to see Giselle. Kristoff's car had been in the garage and Olaf had shouted a goodbye to him, but Anna hadn't seen him anywhere. She was relieved.  _I feel like such a child avoiding him, but seeing that look on his face is always so painful._

Giselle and Anna had agreed on pizza. She pulled into Pizza Hut, with Olaf bouncing out of his seat. She had no idea how he could possibly be hungry after he and Lilo ate the entire store worth of samples, but he certainly seemed to be.

Giselle was just sitting down at the table when Anna entered. She went over to join her friend and asked the waiter for a booster seat for Olaf.

"Hi, Aunt Giselle!" Olaf crooned, climbing into his mother's lap while they waited for his seat.

"Hello there, Olaf," Giselle greeted him. "I see you brought your mother along too. I'm glad she could join us." She grinned.

"Hey, Giselle. Sorry again about earlier," Anna offered, smiling back.

"It's all right. I know what all you're going through."

The waiter arrived with the booster seat, so Anna hoisted her child off of her and into his own seat where he could squirm to his heart's content. Several crayons and a kid's menu were placed before him and he promptly seized the opportunity to doodle.

"Wanna split a vegetable lovers?" Anna asked. "Olaf can get a personal, he always just wants a cheese pizza."

"That sounds great," Giselle agreed. "I'm famished, I never did get to my lunch earlier."

"Sorry," Anna squeaked.

"It wasn't your fault. After you left I had to help out Mr. Frederickson with a printer jam. It was just distraction after distraction."

"Mama?" Olaf asked, looking up from his coloring.

"Yes, honey?"

"If you start dating Esmeralda then what am I going to call her? Would she be my step mom?"

The two redheads stared at the young blond. _He was listening earlier. Crap._ "Um, honey-"

Giselle interrupted, "Where did you hear this?" A mischievous smile crossed her lips.

"Mama and Aunt Nani were talking about it while Lilo and I were playing," Olaf informed her. "Apparently she likes mama. I haven't met her yet, but she sounds nice." He beamed.

"So that issue earlier was more than just a philosophical exercise then, I take it?" Giselle leaned in towards her friend, her smirk aglow with wicked intent.

Anna turned red and tried to sink lower into her chair. "Um, well, I-"

"Do you like her too? Esmeralda is pretty awesome. I mean, I would not have guessed her for your type at all, but she could be a good fit for you. What are you going to do?"

Anna teared up, wishing that someone would come to her rescue. "I don't know."

The waiter heard her prayers. "How can I help you ladies? And, um, child." He smiled handsomely. His name tag read John.

"We'll have a vegetable lovers and he'll have a personal cheese," Giselle explained rushing him off. "And two diet cokes and an apple juice!" She shouted after him. "So you think you might like her?"

"Can we not do this in front of Olaf," Anna pleaded.

"It's okay, Mama. I know you and daddy aren't getting back together. I just want you to be happy." Hearing this broke Anna's heart.  _He's so selfless._  "If you like her you should kiss her." He announced. "That's what Lilo says you do to people you like."

"Oh, has Lilo kissed you?" Anna asked, trying to change the subject.

"What? No. Lilo is my best friend, that's silly mama."  _Of course my five year old has a better understanding of who he does and doesn't like than I do._

"So, why don't you ask her out?" Giselle suggested.

"I'm still married!" Anna insisted.

"Barely. Besides, that just means it can't get too serious too quickly, it's the perfect time to figure things out."

Olaf was drawing hearts on his place mat.  _This is not fair._

"I don't even know if I like her."

"Well how will you ever know if you don't at least give it a try? Ask her out. I'll even babysit for you. Just do it."

Anna stared at her in panic. "I just want to eat a pizza!"

"Well the pizza's not here yet. So, agree to give her a chance, I'll babysit Olaf whatever day it happens, and we can change the topic."

"I don't even know if I like girls," Anna attempted to reason with her friend.

"Well you like her enough you keep thinking about it. Just like Elena said earlier. So ask her. See what happens. If there's nothing there, then great, you learned, but give it a shot."

"Shouldn't I focus on my divorce, I mean how would Kristoff react?"

"Probably about as well as when you told him you didn't love him."

This shut down all argument. Olaf stared up at his mother. "You said that to daddy?" He asked.

Anna only nodded.

"I'm sorry, Mama." He hopped out of his booster seat and walked over to Anna, hugging her tightly at the waist.  _How did I possibly raise such a good son?"_

"All right," she conceded. "I'll ask her." She stroked her son's hair as he looked up at her happily.

"There, was that so much to ask?" Giselle teased.

"Yes, yes it was."

"If you two hit it off then maybe we could have a double date some time," she chirped. "You haven't seen Jack in a while, it would be a lot of fun."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Anna insisted. "I said I'd ask her out. That's it. Stop planning our wedding."

"But we need to start thinking venue. If you don't book it far enough in advance you'll never get the perfect place," Giselle teased. "Picture you two, matching gowns, beneath the Eiffel Tower, Olaf as the ring bearer. I think it could work."

"We wouldn't wear matching dresses!"

"So you're already thinking about it."

Anna glowered at her friend, prompting a cheeky grin in return. Olaf's focus was back on his artistic creations. After a while her expression softened and she playfully added, "If I was going to have a destination wedding I'd rather go back to Norway anyway. I haven't been since I was a kid."

"See, now we're getting somewhere." Giselle's face lit up again. She was always so in love with the idea of her friends finding love.

Giselle's mission accomplished, talk turned to school, to Olaf, and to her and Jack's new apartment. Anna relaxed and enjoyed herself, feeling less like she was facing the Inquisition, and Olaf was happy to see his mother smiling again. Their pizzas arrived. They were good, but way too greasy. When they were done, Giselle insisted on paying, over Anna's protests, then they hugged and went their separate ways.

As Anna was driving back home, Olaf asleep in his car seat, what she had just agreed to do finally finished settling in on her.  _I have to ask out Esmeralda._


	5. Elsa - I Am a Sellout

Elsa woke up to sunlight streaming in through the bedroom windows and the smell of bacon, french toast, and grits floating up from the kitchen. No alarm was buzzing and it was well past eight o'clock. Tiana had been home for just over a day and it was now Saturday morning - Elsa's first chance to actually enjoy a day with the woman she loved. She had no responsibilities save to go savor the breakfast that was already drawing her down to the kitchen by her nose. Smiling and clad only in a silk nightgown, she descended the steps and began her day.

"Good morning, sleepy-head," Tiana teased. She was already showered and dressed.

"Good morning, Tiana," Elsa responded, pulling the other woman to her and kissing her.

"Hey!" She screamed in response to being dragged away from her cooking. "I'm almost done, just sit down and let me finish up."

"Yes, ma'am," Elsa joked back, taking a seat at the dining room table. Tiana did not believe in eating in front of the television; meals were to be shared as a family without other distractions.

Soon, all of the food was piled in front of the blonde, alongside a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. "Where do you find the time?" Elsa had to ask. "How long have you been up?"

"Since six, I think. You know I've never been one for sleep," Tiana responded, sitting down across from her partner and digging into the food.

"You know, sleep is kind of important. I don't want you just dropping dead on me or anything. You have to take care of yourself," Elsa insisted as she poured syrup on her French toast.

"I take plenty of care of myself. When's the last time you've hit the gym, hun? I keep my food as healthy as I can with soul food, and I already went jogging when I first woke up."

Elsa tried to remember the last time she'd been to the gym.  _It has been a while._  "You know how busy work keeps me," she explained defensively.

"I know, but I promise you can still find some time to exercise. You used to always join me."

"Then you stopped being around often enough for it to be a habit."

Tiana looked hurt.  _I should not have said that._ "I'm sorry I'm never here," she responded glumly, looking down into her grits.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm so proud of you for everything you're accomplishing, I just have trouble keeping exercise habits on my own. I promise I'll get back to it, just when you're here invite me to join you, okay?"

"So you'll go jogging with me tomorrow morning, then?" Tiana asked, cheering up.

 _That sounds like Hell._ "Sounds heavenly. I'd love to."

"I'll keep you to that, Elsa," Tiana said seriously. "I'm not letting you up and die on me of a heart attack in twenty years. This is exactly why I bought you that stationary bike a few years back, so you could go over papers for work while still getting some exercise in. When's the last time you used it?"

 _Probably the day you bought it for me._ "It's been a while. As much paperwork as I've had of late I should really take advantage of that more. There would probably be fewer wine and coffee stains on my legal files."

This at least elicited a giggle from Tiana and her expression softened. "I just want to make sure you take care of yourself. Your metabolism isn't going to manage everything on its own forever."

"Don't remind me," Elsa whined back, "I've gained five pounds this year. When I was in my twenties I could live off of fried food and carbs and still keep a perfect figure. Being old sucks."

"Maybe I shouldn't be feeding you so much junk food then. You know my preferences, but I should really stop using so much oil, and maybe a few more salads and a few less beignets wouldn't be a bad idea for either of us. I've gained a couple pounds too," Tiana reasoned, looking guiltily at the load of fat and carbs before them.

"Oh no, you are not taking away my beignets," Elsa panicked. "I'll exercise more, but not that."

"I could always try making healthier beignets. Change the oil, use less of it, less powdered sugar, mess around with the dough to make it a bit lighter."

"You wouldn't dare," Elsa growled.

"I wouldn't, I could never go that far," Tiana laughed. "But if we keep gaining weight I'll have to consider it."

"How about an after-breakfast jog?"

"I already showered."

"You can shower with me afterward, it'll be a lot more fun that way," Elsa grinned lasciviously. "Plus it's an extra work out."

Tiana seemed to approve of that idea. "All right, we're jogging two miles, then if you still have the energy we can have some more fun in the shower."

"Two miles?" Elsa gulped.

"Gotta keep that ass firm," Tiana explained. "Otherwise it won't make that nice thwack when I smack it." She demonstrated the sound she meant.

"Hey now, I thought we were saving that for after," Elsa pulled the younger woman to her and kissed her again, their lips sticking slightly from the syrup. "Let's clean up and have that jog."

* * *

Exhausted and newly showered, the two lovers collapsed back into their bed in each other's naked embrace. "That was nice," Elsa breathed.

"It really was a nice jog, a little cold out, but still nice."

"Yes, the jog." Elsa bit Tiana's neck, eliciting a slight moan in response. "That is exactly what I meant. I'm glad you understand me so well. You know how much I love jogging."

Tiana glared back, sliding a hand up Elsa's abdomen. "I know you do, I'm glad you're getting so into it, it's important to enjoy your exercise." When her hand reached its target, she pinched a firm mound and Elsa's body rocked back in shock and pleasure.

"I enjoyed my exercise plenty." She climbed on top of Tiana, pinning the other woman's arms to the bed. "And we're about to have some more if you don't stop that."

"Hey, you started it," Tiana replied, gazing hungrily up at the blonde.

"Semantics."

"Says the lawyer."

"Shh," Elsa put a finger to Tiana's lips. She promptly bit it. "Ow."

"What are you going to do about that case?" Tiana asked, after releasing her love's finger.

"Where'd that come from?"

"Thinking of you being a lawyer. I know you have to defend him, but what are you actually going to do? I've seen how heavily it's weighing on you, tell me about it," she sat up and looked at her girlfriend with concern-filled eyes, her nudity only a slight distraction now that the mood was thoroughly dampened.

Elsa leaned her head against the soft flesh of her partner's chest and let out a loud sigh. "Well I think I'm going to win it. I just don't know what I can do to make sure I can live with it. The victim wasn't even his patient anymore, the case should be pretty easy, but I'm going to hate myself so much."

"Don't hate yourself. I love you. You are doing this because you have to." Tiana's fingers traced through the light blonde hair cascading over both of them.

"I don't have to, that's the thing. I am choosing to do this and I know it. I could go be a lawyer for an organization that actually helps people, I could retire with my more than ample savings—"

"You could just be my kept woman," Tiana added. "Just let me take care of you, then I'd actually be able to see you when I'm home."

"Exactly, I don't need this at all. I can't pretend that I'm desperate for the work, I'm just power hungry and want to prove myself. It's selfish, and I'm going to hurt that poor woman."

"If the case is as open and shut as you make it sound, it wouldn't matter who the lawyer was, she'd be hurt no matter what. As much as your client sounds like a complete asshole, he deserves representation just like anyone else, and while you may be the best," Elsa managed a half grin in response to that, "it doesn't sound like you'll have to show off those skills to win. Don't hate yourself for something that would happen regardless."

"The image still doesn't look good," Elsa sat up, looking to the younger woman. "Thanks to you I'm rather annoyingly famous, so this disgusting excuse for a human being has an open lesbian, who's a partner in a prestigious law firm representing him. It makes me look like a complete sell-out and I can already feel the media about to swoop in on this to start devouring my carrion."

"Well if you'd stop keeping dead rodents in your pockets that wouldn't be an issue," Tiana joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"But I need my lucky half-decayed whole rabbit to win the case. Otherwise all my lawyer powers will be gone," Elsa insisted, her face taught with the false fear.

"Then at least keep it in an airtight container so you stop attracting scavengers." She sighed; this concern couldn't just be dismissed with humor. "You really think they're going to make a spectacle of this?" She sat up and ran a hand along the blonde's exposed shoulder.

"I know they will. I expect half of them to make me out to be a traitor to the cause and the other half to make him look good, saying that his wretched abuse has the official lesbian seal of approval so there's nothing wrong with him. I don't blame Gaston for wanting me on this case, I make Thompson look like less of a monster, and that's the worst part of it. I just hate every possible result of this."

"Breathe, think about making equity, think about what this will mean for your career."

Elsa hadn't even noticed that her breathing had quickened. She seemed almost near hyperventilating. She tried to calm herself and followed Tiana's advice. "That only makes it worse. I  _am_  a sellout."

"Then in that case my cashing in on my sexuality to ensure more publicity for my restaurants is also selling out. Join the club."

"That's not the same. You're not using it to hurt other people like us, you're using it to sell good food."

"Yeah, but that good food will clog their arteries, I've probably killed more gay people than Thompson has." They both managed a dark chuckle at that. "I don't think you're a sellout, I think you're just doing what you can to get ahead. If you make name partner, you'll never have to defend another homophobe, right?"

"Not unless they have enough money that refusing them would be career suicide due to losing the firm their business," Elsa explained sardonically.

"Keep climbing up that totem pole until you don't have to listen to anyone else. Do whatever it takes to accomplish your dreams. As much as you'll hate yourself for doing this case, you will get over it. If you abandoned what you've been dreaming about since you were a teenager, you never would."

 _She's right. I hate it when she's right. Which is always. I hate always._  "Can I still bitch about it?" Elsa asked worriedly.

"Of course, that's the most important part," Tiana agreed, her eyes crinkling in a smile.

Elsa sat up and looked into Tiana's eyes, without a trace of humor in her own. "Promise me you won't hate me for this? Promise me that you won't hate me for defending someone who has devoted his life to hurting people like us. Well, if we were broke and vulnerable."

"I highly doubt he's going after the broke ones," she faltered, tears starting to shimmer in her brown eyes. "But no matter what happens, I could never hate you. You're the love of my life, Elsa. This won't change anything."

They held each other in a tight embrace, tears silently falling from their eyes.  _I hope I can believe that. I don't know if I'd be able to say the same if I was you._

* * *

Elsa's phone rang. She really didn't want to go into work today, there was no way there was any possible event that could occur that would be so important that she would want to get out of bed with Tiana on a Saturday. By the third ring her curiosity took the best of her and she asked Tiana to hand her the phone since they had somehow ended up on each other's sides of the bed in their cuddling.

"I'll give you two some alone time," Tiana said, wrapping the sheet around herself as she handed Elsa the phone before walking out of the room.

Elsa stared after her in confusion, then looked down at her phone. It was Anna.  _I don't think she's called me since just after Olaf was born._  "Hello?" she asked hesitantly, convinced that it was somehow a wrong number.

"Oh, good, you still have the same number! Wow, it's so good to hear your voice. It's been way too long, Elsa," a familiar voice answered on the other end of the line. It was strange, in Elsa's head Anna always sounded like she did when she was fifteen - when Elsa had first received custody of her. All of the emails had still sounded like her teenage sister. It was strange hearing the difference those fifteen years had made. Her voice was so similar, but yet so different. Her baby sister was an adult.

"It's good to hear your voice too. Wow, you're up early, isn't it only nine over there? Can't believe my baby sister wakes up before noon on Saturdays now," Elsa teased, remembering how difficult it had always been to wake her up, even on a school day. Eventually she had learned that she had to stay there until her sister actually crawled out of bed or else she would just go back to sleep.  _She really has grown up._

"Unfortunately Olaf does not appreciate my beauty sleep. My son still has to eat, I can't just sleep all day anymore," she replied, sounding more annoyed than Elsa had expected.  _I really can't treat her like a kid anymore._

"Sorry, I know, I really am glad to hear from you. What's going on?"

"Kristoff just left for work and Olaf is playing video games, otherwise believe me I would not be saying this stuff out loud in my house right now."

"Stop sounding so dramatic and just tell me, Anna." Elsa was starting to worry.

"I have a date tonight! I'm so nervous. I haven't had a date since I was sixteen. What do I wear, what do I do, what am I even thinking? How do I do this? Tell me this is crazy, talk me out of it, pick out my outfit, I need your help."

"What do you mean you have a date? With whom? Does Kristoff know?"

"No, he doesn't know," Anna hesitantly replied, guilt heavy in her words. "But it's none of his business! We're splitting up. Oh, that was the other thing I need help with, can you help me get a divorce? You're like the best lawyer ever, I'm sure you can knock one out in no time."

Elsa sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I would really advise that you hire a lawyer who's actually passed Oregon's bar. I can't do anything for you other than help with forms, and when you have a child to deal with, an actual lawyer will make a big difference. I do know someone who moved out there after law school, but she's an ex-girlfriend and we haven't talked in a while."

"Please please please please please," Anna begged. "Just ask her, if she says no you don't have to do anything more, but I'm completely lost here, I wouldn't even know what to look for."

"All right, fine, I'll try contacting Elizabeth, but I'm not making any promises."

"Thank you soooo much! You're the best sister ever!" Elsa had to hold the phone away from her ear as her sister screamed for joy.

"If I was the best sister ever, I think we would have remembered what each other sounded like."

They both grew somber for a moment before Anna broke the silence. "So, my date..."

"Who are you even going on a date with? How did this happen?"

"Well, um, I, erm, Elsaaaaa..." She whined, scared to tell her older sister what had happened – terrified that she would tell her she was making a bad decision.

"Tell me," Elsa said firmly, knowing full well that Anna could go on like that for hours.

Anna paused again before finally admitting everything. "Her name's Esmeralda, she's the music teacher at my school, she's really cool, and she's pan, and I did totally know another queer person! Even if she had never told me. Can I use that word? Is that okay? Should I just say LGBT? Or am I part of it now so it's cool to reclaim the term? She uses it. She's really awesome, but apparently she's had a thing for me for months and I never even noticed. I asked her out yesterday. She's taking me out for dinner, her words, she's insisting on paying, and she told me that it was okay if I backed out at any point, that she knew I was still questioning. She's been so understanding. What am I gonna do? What if I can't go through with it?"

Elsa cut in when Anna paused for breath. "You have a date with another woman? So you do really think you're gay? I had thought maybe you were just freaking out about me."

"I don't know. I am so incredibly confused, but I think I like her, and I know she likes me. I have to find out right?" She sounded almost as excited as she did terrified.

 _Maybe she really is. How did I never notice? Wasn't it my job to help her figure herself out?_ "But you asked her out, even when you were so confused? That's pretty impressive."

"Giselle kind of talked me into it, she's going to be babysitting Olaf."

"So you're not sure that you want this? Try not to break the poor girl's heart at least," Elsa sighed, regretting saying it as soon as it left her mouth. "But look after yourself, don't do anything you're not comfortable with, she's a big girl, she can look after herself. Won't Kristoff kind of freak out if he gets home from work and you and Olaf are missing?"

Anna didn't say anything for a few seconds. Apparently that had not occurred to her. "Maybe," she agreed reluctantly.

"You should tell him."

"I'm not ready to. I'll just leave a note saying that I'm out with Esmeralda and that Giselle is looking after Olaf, he knows we're friends, he doesn't have to know it's a date yet. Not unless it becomes something serious. Which I mean it might. She's really cool. I think she's pretty hot too, but I'm still trying to figure out what that means to me. I at least know I'd kill to have abs as flat as hers."

"That doesn't sound that much like attraction. Wanting to be someone isn't the same as wanting to be with them."  _I really don't want her to end up hurting herself. She's always been pretty reckless, she can explore her sexuality without just jumping into bed with someone._

"I caught myself staring at her breasts once," Anna insisted, as she recalled the event.

"Even straight girls stare at tits."

"Well that doesn't mean I am one. Straight I mean, not a tit."

"You're a good little tit," Elsa argued, prompting a laugh from the phone.

"I think I might really like her. I don't think I'll regret this."

Elsa's heart and voice softened.  _Maybe this isn't a terrible idea._ "Just take care of yourself, stay safe. Try not to move too fast, it's your first time, I don't want you getting your heart broken either. Remember that dental dams are a thing!"

"What are dental dams?" Anna was clearly confused.

Elsa sighed, remembering the last time she had to discuss safe sex with her little sister. "They're like condoms for oral. Don't get an STD, you don't know that Esmeralda is clean."

"You can get STD's from oral?!" Anna screamed in Elsa's ear in surprise.

"You're a teacher! How do you not know this?" Elsa was beginning to worry again.

"I was an elementary school teacher! They don't tell us anything. Now I'm an English teacher, it doesn't really come up much."

"Get some dental dams, just in case, but you shouldn't be having sex with her right away anyway. You don't know what you want, take your time."

"It's not like I just leap into bed with everyone," she whined. "I've only ever been with Kristoff."

"And how many dates had you two been on before you slept with him?"

Elsa could hear Anna's frustrated breathing. She clearly did not want to admit the answer. "Zero, but we'd been friends for ages."

"You'd known him for a week."

"A month!"

"Get dental dams."

"Fine!" she grumbled.

"Please just take care of yourself. I still can't believe you asked her out."

"I can't either! I'm so excited."

Elsa smiled. It was difficult to be upset when Anna was happy. "How'd it happen? I know Giselle made you do it, but how'd you go about it? Please tell me you didn't just text her."

"No! Of course I didn't. And Giselle didn't make me. At least not quite. I wanted to anyway! I walked into her classroom during lunch; Esmeralda's, not Giselle's. She was playing some music on her phone and singing along. Her voice is amazing! The classroom was empty and I waited in the doorway until she was done. After the song, I knocked on the door frame and walked towards her. She looked really surprised to see me. I think she thought I was avoiding her, and I may have kind of been. She asked what was up. I think she was nervous but that may have just been me. Then I just leapt, I told her I was still unsure of everything, but if she really meant it earlier, I wanted to try going out with her sometime. She seemed shocked, but happy. She has a really beautiful smile. She said yes, but she was taking me, and then she spent a while assuring me that it would be okay whatever happened, that I could change my mind at any point, that I was under no obligation to do anything just because she bought me dinner, that kind of stuff."

"Well, she sounds reasonable at least. I'm proud of you. That was your first time asking someone out." Elsa stood up and stretched, smiling at her sister's new affair.  _Maybe this will be good for her._

"Yep, it was terrifying," Elsa could hear the smile in her sister's voice. "So what do I wear? Do I have to wear plaid?"

"No, Anna, you don't have to wear plaid. Just wear something nice, dress how you would if you were going on a date with Kristoff."

"But what if I don't look gay enough?"

"I wear dresses, do I not look gay enough?" Elsa teased, letting some genuine annoyance into her voice.

"No, I mean, kind of, but no! You can dress however you like."

"Exactly, just wear something nice. Don't try to be someone you're not. She likes you," she emphasized the final word.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'm really glad I called you," Anna said, sniffling.

"I'm glad too."

"I don't know why we haven't talked in so long."

Elsa shut her eyes.  _I do._ "I don't either. I've missed you."

"I'm gonna go pick out my outfit."

"It's still morning there, you have a while."

"I want to be ready, you know how bad I am at procrastinating, I want to look perfect, so I have to get started now or else it'll never happen."

"All right." Elsa paused. "By the way, I'll probably be able to see you in a month or two, the big trial is on Wednesday. I can't believe the idiot waited that long to hire a lawyer."

"Oh wow, I didn't realize it would really be that soon. I'm really excited to see you! Tell Tiana I'm a big fan."

"You could tell her yourself if you'd like," Elsa laughed.

"No! Too scary! Maybe next time. I'll talk to you later, Elsa."

"I'll talk to you later."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

They both hung up. Elsa sighed at the phone, things had seemed so normal, like they were supposed to be.  _Maybe I really have gotten over it._  She leaned back against the pillows and stretched.  _Guess I'll go tell Tiana the good news._

She found her girlfriend quickly, in the kitchen, as always. She was making them a delicious, but not particularly nutritious lunch of shrimp po' boys. "How'd it go?" Tiana asked, as she heard Elsa approaching. She was still only wearing the sheet and Elsa was wearing even less.  _I'm glad we don't have that many windows._

"Well it looks like she might be getting a girlfriend soon," Elsa laughed, taking a seat at the table.

Fortunately Tiana was no longer handling shrimp and hot oil by the time Elsa had relayed this news, as she almost spilled lettuce everywhere. "But she's still married!"

"They're pretty well over, I even said I'd put her in touch with a divorce attorney. Speaking of, I should probably email her, give me a minute, I'll be right back."

"It can wait until after lunch—" Tiana said to the empty chair that Elsa had vacated. "Really now, if you're not back before it gets cold I'm eating both of these!"

Elsa returned a few minutes later, wearing a bathrobe. She found Tiana and their lunch at the table. "Sorry, I just had to send a quick message to Elizabeth before I forgot. Last I'd heard, she'd moved to Portland and had even been doing divorces. Not sure how affordable she is, but I don't think she hates me anymore, so maybe she'll do it as a favor for an old friend."

"Rude, leaving me in the middle of lunch  _and_  getting rid of my view," Tiana replied, gesturing to Elsa's robe. "Why would she hate you anyway? Unless you did the same thing to her," she teased, her accent stronger than usual.

"No, I was eighteen, and juggling her, college, and being Anna's legal guardian was too much for me, so I ended things with her," Elsa spat back. It was an old wound, but it wasn't one she liked thinking about. "She didn't take it well. We patched things up a few years later, but I don't think she ever forgave me."

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry," Tiana's voice softened again, though her accent remained strong. "That was her? I didn't realize, I was just giving you a hard time," she pushed Elsa's sandwich closer to her, by way of apology.

"I know you didn't. I shouldn't have snapped at you, everything with Anna is just making it feel fresh again. I'm sorry." She ate her sandwich to show her contrition. It was a very easy way to show her sincerity, but it had the desired effect.

"Well eat up and I'll try not to be so easily offended in the first place. I'm glad that you're helping Anna, she certainly needs it." She resumed eating her own po' boy. She had taken a few bites in annoyance when Elsa had run off, instead of waiting for her like she normally would.

"She was too scared to talk to you on the phone, it was kind of adorable," Elsa informed Tiana in an attempt to change the subject.

Tiana laughed, expelling a piece of fried shrimp onto the table. She covered her mouth while she tried to control herself, "Well she should be scared of me – my secret ingredient is people."

Elsa stared at her sandwich in mock horror, "Wow, people are delicious."

"I know, right? From everything I've heard from documentaries on cannibal tribes they're not great, at best, but if you cook them right they apparently taste just like shrimp."

"It must be the seasoning."

"Like Mrs. Lovett said, it's all in the coriander."

"Is there even coriander on this shrimp?"

Tiana glared at her. "No. Way to ruin the joke."

"Sorry, my dear, I'll go back to believing I'm eating human meat with cilantro if it'll make you feel better," Elsa declared magnanimously.

"It would a little," Tiana wiped at her eyes playfully. "Wow, I'm impressed you know that they're the same thing."

"You've taught me a lot," Elsa grinned.

"Let me answer the phone the next time she calls. It'll be hilarious," Tiana insisted with an evil smirk.

"Now that I can do," Elsa agreed, as both of them laughed mischievously.

"I'm looking forward to meeting her," Tiana announced as their diabolical laughter died down. "A vacation sounds really nice. You and I have been doing basically nothing but work nonstop for years."

"I thought you loved your work," Elsa replied.

"I do, and I know you love yours, but we need a break from time to time." She leaned her head against her partner's shoulder. "We need time together, we need social time, it's as important for our health as that exercise earlier."

"I really enjoyed that exercise," Elsa joked, running a hand up Tiana's thigh. "Aren't we getting social time right now? I mean it's really nice to just spend a day relaxing with you. I haven't let myself have a Saturday off in quite a while; you're right, I really have been working nonstop."

"I'm glad that we're spending today together, I've missed you so much," Tiana kissed her cheek before adding, "but you do remember we have other friends too, right? When's the last time we've had any company over?"

Elsa stared off into space as she tried to recall and pulled her girlfriend closer. "I'm honestly not sure. I don't think we've had any friends over in almost a year, the last time I can recall was that Halloween party."

"That was two years ago."

"No it wasn't, it was last Halloween."

"I wasn't here last Halloween. If you mean the one where we dressed up as Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus, then that was the Halloween before last."

Elsa stared down at Tiana. "That was two years ago? Wow, okay, then I think it's officially been long enough we probably don't have friends anymore."

Tiana laughed, "I'm sure we still have friends, they just think we're crazy recluses. I saw on Facebook that Anya has a new girlfriend, why don't we invite them over tomorrow? I know it's last minute, but we could have a dinner party."

"You really want to cook on your day off?" Elsa asked, to which Tiana only indicated the plates in front of them. "Fair enough. You have any friends you want to invite too?"

"Anya is my friend, just because she's your ex doesn't change the fact that I probably talk to her more often than you do."

"I don't think I've talked to her in almost a year," Elsa acknowledged, proving Tiana right.

"I'll invite her then. You just have to help out with setting everything up and be your usual beautiful self," Tiana decided in a tone that brooked no argument.

"All right, tomorrow we'll see Anastasia," Elsa agreed before kissing Tiana happily.  _It has been a while, seeing her does sound nice._ "I love you."

"I love you too," Tiana grinned, before going into party-planner mode.


	6. Anna - I Kinda Want To Pet a Chicken

_It's only been a few days since the last time I had dinner with Esmeralda._ _Why does this time feel so different?_   _Okay, stupid question._  All right _, hair? In pigtails. Nails? Short and green, really glad I looked stuff up, I would not have thought to trim my nails this short otherwise. Not because I'm gonna do anything, obviously, just would rather her impression of me not be that I'd stab her insides. I really wish I hadn't had to change out of that green dress I'd picked out, but I didn't have time to clean the stain off after lunch with Olaf. Hopefully she'll like the red one anyway._ She checked her reflection in her car's vanity mirror.  _No smears on my makeup, my eyes pop, I almost look good. Olaf is safely at Giselle's, I texted Kristoff that I was going to be out, everything should be good._ She stared at the restaurant.  _I just need to get out of the car._ She gulped. It was already 7:35 and they were supposed to meet at 7:30. Esmeralda was likely to be late, but Anna didn't want to be even later.

After a few minutes of breathing and trying to calm herself, Anna finally managed to open the door of her car. She climbed out of the Kia, struggling a little bit with her high heels on the gravel, but managed to actually take a step before freezing up again.  _If I get too scared I can just tell her. Everything will be okay. I really like her._ She took another deep breath, gathered all of her strength, and made it to the door.

Esmeralda was sitting inside, just past the entrance, waiting for her. She was wearing biker pants and boots, with a grey peasant top under a leather jacket. Anna could not help but notice that the pants were very snug and showed off her features quite well. "Hey," Esmeralda announced, standing to greet her date, with a giant grin plastered on her face. "It was too late notice to manage a reservation, but they said a table would be ready for us in like thirty minutes. That was about ten minutes ago too, so it's hopefully just twenty now. Are you all right with waiting?" She asked nervously.

Anna nodded, equally nervous. "Yeah, that's fine. It smells amazing in here. You know the best restaurants, I'd heard of this place before but I'd never been."

"It's not my usual sort of place, but Nostrana is really good. I used to know a girl that worked here, she's the one that turned me on to it," the raven-haired beauty explained. "I probably should have dressed up a bit more, but one of my roommates needed the car, and I was not wearing a dress on a motorcycle."

"I didn't know you had roommates. And I am definitely not complaining about the outfit, you look amazing," Anna checked her out admiringly.  _I am at least 80% sure this is attraction and not wanting to be her._

"Oh, yeah, I live in a bit of a commune. It keeps the rent down but lets me have a big enough yard for my goats. I wasn't going to just abandon Djali and Porridge so I could move into the city."

"Porridge?" Anna asked, laughing.

"He already had the name when he was given to me and he won't respond to anything else, so his name is Porridge."

"That makes sense. How did you end up with goats? That's not exactly a normal animal Can you even have goats in the city? Legally I mean."

"They're pygmy goats, so yes, you can have up to three without a license, though chickens and other farm animals count to that number too, which almost caused some issues when I moved in. Fortunately the guy that owned all but one of the chickens was moving, so we were only breaking the law for a few weeks. And hey! What's wrong with goats as pets? Djali and Porridge are little angels."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, I've just never met anyone else who had goats. Can I meet them?"

"Trying to go back to my place already?" Esmeralda teased.

Anna blushed a bright red, matching her hair and dress, "I didn't mean like that. I mean I'm not sure! I've just never met a goat before."

"Djali would love to meet you, I'm not sure about Porridge, he's generally pretty skittish with new people."

"Well I'd love to meet Djali too, and I'll do my best to win over Porridge," Anna said with a grin. "No animal can resist my charms."

"I certainly can't," Esmeralda agreed, causing the redhead's blush to reignite.

"I just have a dog, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose him in the divorce. His name's Sven, he's a mutt and he's really sweet. He loves Olaf."

"I'm sorry he'll lose that," Esmeralda said sadly.

"Yeah," Anna agreed guiltily. "At least he'll still be able to see him, or I don't know maybe we'll split custody of the dog too, we haven't really discussed anything yet."

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Esmeralda asked, worry clear in her voice.

"No, I'm not at all sure, but I'm not ready to stop either."

"Esmeralda?" A voice asked. They both turned to look at the speaker. It was the hostess. "Your table's ready."

"Oh, great, thank you," Esmeralda replied as they followed the hostess to their table.

"What do you recommend?" Anna asked Esmeralda, to continue the conversation.

"The lamb's really good and their steak is amazing, honestly you can't go wrong."

"You eat lamb?!" Anna cried.

"Yes? Why wouldn't I?" Esmeralda asked, flummoxed.

"But that's like a baby Djali or Porridge!"

"Goats and sheep aren't the same thing."

"Oh. I guess I knew that. It still seems weird."

"Then I suppose we should get the steaks to make sure you don't get too confused and eat my goats when you meet them," Esmeralda laughed. "Though they may also try to eat you, or at least your braids."

"I'll eat them first," Anna growled. "I am almost certain I can take two pygmy goats in a fight. I mean they're called pygmy, how big could they be?"

"Well Djali is about 60 pounds and Porridge is 70. I'm not saying you'd lose, but it would be quite a fight."

"Seventy pounds? That's supposed to be pygmy? I was expecting like a little teacup goat that I could hold in my hand."

"You can try if you'd like, but I don't think it'd be great for your wrist."

"I guess I'm not fighting your goats then."

"That's probably for the best. Just don't let them eat your hair and everything will be fine. They taste everything, it's what goats do," Esmeralda explained.

"I will sit them down and explain to them calmly that I would rather they not eat my hair, and that I brought them some nice bread from this restaurant as a reward for them not eating me," Anna decided, taking a bite out of a stiff piece of bread with some olive oil.

"They'll likely listen to you, while tasting your hair."

"Should I just put my hair up? Would that help?"

"They are slightly less likely to climb your entire body to reach your hair, yes. They do climb, but it would at least help."

"All right, I'll put it up when we leave," Anna established, reminding Esmeralda of the fact that she was going back to her place. "So steak? Which one?"

"They're all good, we could split the giant ribeye, their flank steak is really good-"

"Wow, you've been here a lot."

"I was friends with that waitress for a few months, I would often eat here before she got off."

"Were you friends like," Anna fumbled with her words. "Like how we're friends?"

"And just what are you implying we are?" Esmeralda asked of an incredibly embarrassed Anna. "Yes, I was sleeping with her, we were never exactly dating though, so at the moment I suppose that would be the exact opposite of us."

"Oh," Anna replied, hesitantly. She was unsure how to process this information; she hadn't realized relationships and sex were so complicated.

Their waitress arrived while Anna was still attempting to wrap her head around everything. "You ladies ready?" she asked.

Esmeralda looked questioningly at Anna, who responded "Yeah, I'll have the flank steak and a glass of this red wine,"she indicated her choice on the wine menu.

"I'll have the same thing," Esmeralda added, "That sounds perfect."

"I don't think I've ever seen goat cheese on a menu before," Anna announced as the waitress took their menus.

"Well don't expect it from my boys," Esmeralda laughed.

"Right, I was going to ask if you milked them or anything, I did not think about that."

"Yeah, that has somewhat of a different effect on male goats, you might get some liquid, but definitely don't drink it."

Anna couldn't help but laugh at that. "Duly noted. No milking the boy goats. How did you end up as a teacher anyway, if you don't mind my asking? It seems kind of an odd fit for you."

"I love music, I have a degree in music theory, with a minor in history, and as much as I love traveling, it sounded nice to not be scraping by paycheck to paycheck and couch surfing for at least a little while. I'm not sure I'll stick with it, but it's a nice change of pace, this is just my second year."

"Oh, wow, this is my, what, seventh? Eighth? What did you do before?"

"Mostly just odd jobs while I traveled the world. My mother had left me a little bit, but not enough to survive or anything. I've busked, I've done manual labor, I've taught English as a foreign language, I've stripped, I've worked as a waitress a few times, that was the worst, done some online freelancing from time to time. Honestly teaching is probably the most fun I've had working, aside from busking, but that doesn't earn much of a steady paycheck. What made you decide to become a teacher?"

"I didn't realize your mom had died, I'm sorry. What's busking?" Anna asked.

"Street performing – it's playing music and hoping people give you money. Yes she did, but I never knew her. Why did you decide to be a teacher?" Esmeralda repeated herself, not wanting the entire conversation to be about her.

"Oh, my mom died too, when I was fifteen. Sorry you never knew her. To answer your question though, I just always wanted to be a teacher, but an elementary school teacher. I love children, I actually rather enjoyed school when I was young, I like learning, I'm patient enough that I enjoy teaching, I just never wanted it to be like this. I worked at my old school for six years before it was shut down, our school is terrible."

"I don't mind it too much myself, but I can definitely see how it would be a big change."

"My students are assholes. I'm used to my kids liking me, and instead I had a student trying to bully me the other day."

"Seriously?" Esmeralda looked protective.  _That's really sweet._ "What happened?"

"It was nothing, she'd overheard my telling you that I was getting a divorce and decided to make a show of it in front of the class. I overreacted more than anything, I just want to let it go."

"The little bitch. Teenagers are the worst. What business is it of hers what you're going through?"

"Exactly!" Anna almost shouted. "Ugh, she just drives me crazy, but she's one of my best students. I hadn't told anyone else at school because I don't want to make anything of it. Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't, but if she keeps causing you trouble I'm pretty sure I could convince one of my students to beat her up," Esmeralda offered conspiratorially.

Anna giggled. "I'll let you know."

Their food arrived, the smell of the steak mixed with the rosemary and olive oil intoxicating both women. Anna immediately tried a bit and let out a soft moan, prompting a raised eyebrow from her date. "This is the best steak I've ever had."

"Told you it was good," Esmeralda agreed, having a bite.

"Like seriously," Anna continued, "It's amazing."

Esmeralda laughed. "I'm glad you like it. It's a pretty nice place, I thought it was a good choice for our first date."  _That word._ Anna choked on her food. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just still getting used to the idea of dating someone new. Dating you. It's nice, but it's still really scary and new," Anna explained after her coughs died down.

"Like I said before, you can back out at any point."

"No, I don't want to," Anna insisted. "I'm having a great time, and I think I might really like you."

Esmeralda's face flushed. "I really like you too."

"Good then, glad I bought dental dams – I did not just say that."

Esmeralda laughed, her face turning even redder. "Someone's been doing their research. I noticed the nails too, sounds like you might actually know what to expect."

"No!" Anna cried, matching her date's complexion, "I don't know at all, it's why I had to look everything up, but I was talking to Elsa about you and she insisted I buy dental dams, just in case."

"That's very responsible of her," Esmeralda said approvingly. "So what are you telling your sister about me? I didn't know we were to that point."

"I just needed advice on our first date, it had been a long time since I've last gone on a real date, and I'd never gone on one with a girl, I didn't know what to expect, and I figured that she was the best person to ask, I don't know any other queer people. I can say that word right?" Anna added worriedly.

"From where I sit, you seem plenty queer to me," Esmeralda chuckled, "I'd say it's safe to say. I'm flattered that you went to all that trouble for me."

"You're worth it," Anna grinned, shoving another bite of steak into her mouth. "Do you date often?" She asked nervously, unsure if it was even an acceptable question.

"Not really. I mean probably more than I act like I do, since I was dating that last girl, but normally I'm more the type to just have a few friends with benefits. It takes someone really special for me to want to date them."

Anna understood the implication and almost spilled her wine. "I'm nothing special," she insisted.

"You are. I feel really comfortable with you, you're the first person I've hung out with in a long while who doesn't judge me so much, and that was even true when you thought you were straight. I like you, Anna, I'm not ashamed to admit that. I've liked you since we first met."

"There's no way that's true. When we met last year I was a mess, there's no reason you would want me. I was already pretty sure I was leaving Kristoff but I wasn't near ready to say it, and I was barely talking to anyone, what did I do that could have possibly made you like me then?"

"Promise not to laugh?" Esmeralda asked, seeming surprisingly serious.

"I promise."

"I saw you in a fight with another teacher, before we'd ever exchanged a single word, they had been complaining about some student and you were defending them. They were insisting that the kid was stupid and that that was why they were failing their class, while you pointed out their ADHD and dyslexia, and that it wasn't reasonable to force them to the same expectations and that when you gave them additional time and attention they were managing to ace everything. When I was in school no one ever stood up for me like that. I wasn't dyslexic, but I had plenty of issues that made me a terrible student, and it generally just resulted in detention. I had a crush on you from that moment. It was that and your eyes, they looked so sad and yet so full of hope. Plus you're pretty cute, that didn't hurt," she added in an attempt to avoid darkening the mood.

"Wow," Anna breathed. "I had no idea. I don't even remember doing that."

"You're a pretty amazing woman, Anna. That incident not being anything special to you just shows how true that is. Those assholes in your class don't deserve you, you're an amazing teacher." Esmeralda had slid her hand across the table to an inch away from Anna's, wanting to take it but unsure if she should.

Anna settled Esmeralda's internal debate by grabbing her hand. "Thank you," she said, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"Hey now," Esmeralda insisted, squeezing Anna's hand and reaching for it with her other hand, "Don't go crying. I was just trying to answer your question, no tears, we're having an awesome date, I never want to be the one to make you cry."

Anna used her free hand to wipe the tear away. "Sorry, I've just never had anyone say anything like that about me. I mean Kristoff had his moments, but never anything quite like that."

"Then he didn't appreciate you enough."

"Well you're definitely making any doubts I had go away. I'm glad I'm here. You're a pretty amazing woman yourself," Anna grinned, running her thumb along the back of Esmeralda's hand.

"As if that was ever up for debate," she joked. "But I'm glad you're here too, in case I haven't already made that clear."

"Tell me something more about you," Anna begged, hungry for more information on her strange companion.

"Like what?"

"Anything. Where were you from originally? What's your favorite place you've lived?"

Esmeralda hesitated for a moment, serious conversation and sharing were both still somewhat foreign to her. "I'm from France. My father moved me out here after my mother died. Then he died when I was twelve and I ended up in foster care. That the kind of information you wanted?" She asked defensively, immediately regretting it when she saw the hurt in Anna's eyes. "Sorry, sharing isn't easy for me."

"It's okay, I'm sorry, I had no idea that happened to you. I was fifteen when my parents died and Elsa took custody of me. You didn't have anyone?"

"I didn't. I didn't know Elsa raised you," Esmeralda responded. "Makes me extra wonder how you never knew she was gay, but what was that like? Having your sister as your mom."

"Eh, Lilo seems to handle it fine, it wasn't so bad. She was kinda strict, but I was terrible. And I didn't know because I'm really dumb, okay? I didn't know you were flirting with me or that you weren't straight either, I am just an incredibly oblivious person," Anna insisted.

"Oblivious maybe," Esmeralda allowed, "But you're miles from dumb."

"Thanks, I think," Anna laughed. "What was France like? I've never been."

"I don't really remember. I was only two when my mother died and we moved out here. What about you? Didn't you say once that you were from Norway? I spent a few weeks there once, but my timing was terrible and it was too cold for busking and I couldn't find any other work."

"My family is from there, but my parents moved to California a few months before I was born. We used to go back a lot to visit though, and I always loved it. It's just so beautiful there. You did at least manage to have someplace to sleep right? I hate to think you were just freezing on the streets of my home country."

"I found some places to crash, that part wasn't an issue. Wow, I never would have pegged you for a California girl," Esmeralda teased. "You never even say "like totally.""

"I am like totally a California girl," Anna insisted. "Lived my whole life there up until I moved up here for college. I wanted to give Elsa some space, let her actually live her life instead of always looking after me. I didn't expect her to run off to Harvard and then New York."

"Such a mommy's girl."

"She's not my mommy," Anna grumbled.

"Such a legal guardian's girl," Esmeralda rephrased. "I never called any of my foster parent's 'mommy' either."

"It would feel so weird calling Elsa 'mommy,'" Anna laughed. "My sister being my mother sure sounds like one incestuous family."

"Nah, that's only if you sleep with her too," Esmeralda joked.

Anna threw a piece of bread at her date. "Nope, too far."

"I'm sorry, can I make it up to you with chocolate?" she grinned.

"You do know the way to my heart," Anna marveled. "Okay, let's get dessert."

Soon Anna found herself full of chocolate and following the younger woman's motorcycle down the road back to her place.  _Am I really doing this? I mean I'm just going to meet her goats right? Yeah, Anna, that's why you just made sure you still had the dental dams in your purse, in case you needed to give them to the goats._

Upon arriving in front of the house in the slightly less bad area around SE 80th, Anna nervously exited her car. "Wow, you live far from the school."

"It's only like half an hour," Esmeralda protested as she removed her helmet, her hair cascading out of it like she had walked out of a shampoo commercial.

"Oh, I might actually live farther then. Weird. So, let me meet Djali and Porridge!"

"Right this way," Esmeralda grinned, leading her through the house and to the back. "Djali, Porridge, I'm home! And I brought a friend!" Djali immediately came running up to them as soon as they entered the fenced in backyard, the grey creature bleating excitedly. Anna hurriedly tied her hair in a bun as she recalled what the goats were likely to do. He instead decided to try to eat her dress.

"Hey!" Anna yelped, jumping back. "That's not food."

"I don't think he's going to believe you."

"Are you just saying that to get me out of my dress?"

"I wasn't, why? Would it work?" She grinned lasciviously.

Anna glared back, "Probably!" She bent down and petted the goat's head. "Hi Djali, I'm Anna. I think your mommy is trying to get me in bed."

Esmeralda blushed. "I don't want anything you're not ready for."

Djali rubbed his head against Anna's hand, a horn lightly poking her. Porridge hesitantly joined him, offering a single bleat in a nervous greeting. "Hi Porridge," Anna replied. "It's nice to meet you, as I was just telling your brother, my name's Anna."

The black goat found his way to her and copied Djali in attempting a nibble of her dress only for her to yank it away. He leapt back, growing scared again. "It's okay, Porridge, she just doesn't want her nice dress ruined. She's not gonna hurt you," Esmeralda informed the animal. Djali was still rubbing against Anna when Porridge rejoined them. He allowed Anna to gently pet his back before running over to Esmeralda. "He's taking to you quicker than most people. I guess Porridge is a good judge of character."

Anna crouched on the ground as Djali nuzzled against her, eager to receive more petting. Soon Porridge had joined him again and started rubbing against her as well. "I am the goat whisperer!" Anna proclaimed too loudly and scared both of the goats off.

"Okay, Goat Whisperer, want to go back inside before you wake up the chicken too?"

"I don't know, I kinda want to pet a chicken."

"No, believe me, you really don't. Not this one at least. Djali and Porridge can come in if you want, though we'd have to keep an eye on them. They're fairly well behaved, most of the time, but the occasional act of destruction satisfies them even more than it does me," the black haired woman laughed at her own joke.

"So you're asking me if I want them to join us inside or if we're going to be too distracted to look after them?" Anna asked.

Flustered, Esmeralda stammered back "I didn't mean it like that, but kind of. I guess." She stared at the redhead who could make her feel this way when so few other had ever been able to.

Said redhead walked over to her, as the goats resumed circling them looking for food or attention, and kissed her soundly on the lips. Esmeralda pulled her close, kissing back savagely, savoring the taste of the woman she'd desired for the last year. When they finally separated she asked, "So does that mean we'll be too distracted to look after Djali and Porridge?"

"I think that would be accurate," Anna confirmed, kissing her again.


	7. Elsa - Scotch Would Be Great

The spicy aroma of gumbo wafted through the house, as Elsa set the table for four people with two expensive bottles of wine along with a bowl of fruit at the center. She found herself feeling excited for her first dinner party in years. Back when she and Tiana had first gotten together they had people over often, she even actually had a number of friends, but then she made partner, and the slight amount of focus that hadn't been devoted to work turned toward it. It was nice to have a change of pace, and Anya had once been very important to her; it would be good to see her again.

She plugged her phone into the speaker system and turned on some music. By the end of the first song, the doorbell rang. "Would you get that?" Tiana called from the kitchen.

"Sure thing," Elsa replied, already heading to the door. When she opened it, she stared in shock at what she saw. Standing before her was Anastasia in a nicely fitted grey suit, smiling at her, with Belle on her arm.  _There's no way._  Belle, the worst attorney she'd ever seen, was standing there in a short blue dress, looking thrilled to see her.

"Hi, Ms. Agnarrsen," she shouted.

"Oh, you two know each other?" Anya asked, looking between the two. "I suppose I shouldn't be shocked, she is from our old firm."

"It's still my firm," Elsa growled; she still held a slight grudge against the redhead for abandoning Gaston, Phillip, and de Ville.

"Maybe you'll wise up one of these days," Anya shot back, her grin only growing larger.

Elsa gave her a hug and invited the two girls in. "So, you and Belle," she sighed. "How did that happen?"

Before Anastasia could answer, Tiana came running in and greeted her with a large hug. "Anya," she squealed, "It's been ages. How've you been?"

"I've been well. It's good to see you. How about you?" She answered, beaming back, as Tiana released her.

"New restaurant in Tuscon, on another episode of a show airing on Tuesday, I really can't complain. It's great to see you," she took Elsa's hand in her own, squeezing it reassuringly. "So who's this?"

Belle extended a hand, grinning foolishly, her glasses slightly askew. "Hi, I'm Belle, huge fan, it's great to meet you."

"Any friend of Anya's is a friend of mine," Tiana answered, taking the younger girl's hand with her free one.

"What smells so amazing?" Belle asked.

"Shrimp gumbo. It should still be another hour. Why don't we all take a seat in the living room, I'll crack open a bottle of wine." Tiana grinned.

"That sounds wonderful," Belle swooned.  _Right, this was why we'd stopped having dinner parties. Fangirls._

Elsa showed the guests to the living room while Tiana grabbed the wine and glasses. Anya and Belle settled in in a recliner and a large leather chair, while Elsa waited for Tiana on the couch. "So how've you been, Anya?" She asked. It had been at least a year since they'd last talked, not long after Anya had left the firm.

"I've been really good. Dimitri and I have managed to hit the ground running with this law firm, we already have so many clients. I was worried, since I couldn't take any of my old clients from our firm, but I needed to do this, and it's been amazing," Anastasia explained, her eyes lighting up with the enthusiasm and joy that her work provided her. "I have this new case I'm working on-"

Tiana entered the room, handed everyone a glass of wine, and sat down next to Elsa, resting her hand on the blonde's thigh. "I have to go deal with the food some more in about half an hour," she explained, taking a long drink from her glass. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"It was just work talk," Anya insisted, brushing off Tiana's concern.

"So how did you two meet?" Tiana asked.

Anya looked over at Belle, her eyes inviting the younger girl to tell their story.

"It was when I'd first started at Gaston, Phillip, and de Ville," Belle began.

"Oh, you work with Elsa?" Tiana asked, receiving a nod from her partner.

"Yeah, Ms. Agnarrsen is the best lawyer I've ever seen. I second-chaired for her on an insurance case about eight months ago. She handled everything. But a few months before then, when I'd first started, I was having lunch with some of the other associates, at the deli near there."

"Gothel's," Anastasia interjected.

"Yeah, that one," she confirmed. "We were all getting lunch and I saw this gorgeous redhead over here walk in. A few of the associates I was with greeted her and invited her to eat with us. She ended up sitting right next to me." Her cheeks grew red as she recalled their encounter.

"After lunch we stayed there and talked for almost two hours," Anya continued.

"Taking an extended lunch on company time to pick up a girl," Elsa grumbled. Belle didn't seem to notice, but Anya glared at her.

"As I was saying," Anastasia continued, her eyes not leaving Elsa's. "We talked for a few hours, eventually she insisted that she needed to get to work, and I gave her my phone number. Well, a business card, with my phone number on it." She grinned proudly at the fact that she had business cards with her name in the title of her law firm. "She called me up that night."

Belle's cheeks flushed again. "It was the next night! She just seemed really cool, and I don't meet many women."

"Oh, so it's just because you didn't have too many to choose from?" Anya asked, teasing the young brunette.

"No!" She screamed, her eyes opened wide in panic. "You were super hot, and a partner in your own firm, and perfect, I just mean it was nice actually getting that attention, no one ever reads me as gay so it doesn't tend to happen much."

"Relax," Anya laughed, reaching a hand over to caress Belle's arm. "Elsa here was the same way."

"I was not," Elsa insisted defensively. "I'd had plenty of girlfriends."

"You'd had two, and literally everyone thought you were straight." Anya drained the rest of her wine glass.

"Oh, did they?" Elsa asked, glaring back at her friend. "The way I recall it, you weren't too butch yourself back then, I kinda recall us both awkwardly attempting to flirt and feel each other out, convinced that the other girl had to be straight. I mean really, you even had long nails."

"You two were together?" Belle asked, staring between the two feuding women.

"She hadn't told you?" Elsa smirked. "We were together for four years and I don't even get a mention? Wow."

Anastasia sputtered, her eyes darting between her girlfriend and her ex. "I thought I'd said."

Belle shook her head. "You said you used to work together, you said you knew each other in law school, you never said you dated, let alone for four years." Belle was staring at the redhead, cogs turning in her mind as she tried to wrap her mind around this situation and around any reason Anya may have had to hide it.

"It wasn't a secret or anything," Anya insisted. "I really thought you knew."

"Bringing your girl over to your ex's without even mentioning it, probably not the best move," Elsa insisted, her own wine glass now empty as well.

In an effort to nip the fight in the bud, Tiana gestured to Belle. "Want to help me grab some more wine for everyone? Or maybe something harder."

"Scotch would be great," Elsa suggested.

"I wouldn't say no to some vodka," Anya added, glancing hesitantly at Belle, who was looking at her with suspicion.

Belle and Tiana left to go find alcohol to throw on the slowly burning fire. Anya and Elsa stared at each other, hostility in the air. "Really?" Elsa finally asked, once the other two were out of earshot. "Belle?"

"Something wrong with that?" Anya growled back, her eyes never leaving the icy blue orbs across the room.

"She's-" Elsa hesitated trying to decide what complaint precisely was acceptable to say about her friend's new partner. "She's the worst lawyer I've ever seen!" Elsa finally announced, glad that she had not taken so long that the subject of their discussion had returned.

Anya stared at her. "Even if that was true," she replied, "And I'm not saying that it was, because I've never seen her in court, why would it matter?"

Elsa stared at Anastasia, confusion clear on her face.

"Elsa, there's more to life than being a good lawyer, there's more to life than work. She makes me happy, she's smart, she's fun, and she cares about me."

Elsa swallowed a lump that had managed to form in her throat. This was almost the exact same fight that caused their breakup. She fought back the anger and the flurry of other emotions. "She does?" She asked, choking the words out.

"She does what?" Anya spat, glaring back at the blonde, the painful memory reminding her of precisely what she hated most about her friend.

"She makes you happy?" Elsa asked, attempting to ignore her resentment for the girl who did nothing but cost her firm money.

"She does," Anya confirmed, as she calmed down slightly, her anger still coiled in her stomach.

"I'm glad," Elsa announced, as the other two women returned with a large collection of drinks. Elsa was handed a glass of at least two fingers of scotch as well as a refill of wine, while Anastasia was handed a glass half full of vodka and her own wine. Tiana and Belle stood with their own wine glasses.

"What are you glad about?" Belle asked, grinning, still thrilled beyond belief that she was spending time with her partner and two of the people she respected most in the entire world.

"That you make me happy," Anya explained, kissing the girl, and taking a swig of her vodka. "Good stuff. Russian?"

"Lithuanian, actually," Tiana answered.

"I take it back then," she joked, as the mood lightened.

"You were really telling her that I make you happy?" Belle asked.

Anya eyed Elsa before confirming, "Yeah, she'd asked, and you do. You're wonderful, Belle. I love you."

Belle blinked. "You-" She paused, staring blankly at the older woman, before blurting out "I love you too!"

The two kissed, as Elsa and Tiana stared on. "That the first time?" Tiana asked, once the two finally separated.

"Yes," Anya confirmed, looking happily at Belle, who nodded in agreement.

"I'm so happy for you, That's wonderful," Tiana grinned.

Elsa and Anya locked eyes. "I'm happy for you too," Elsa smiled.

"On that note," Tiana laughed, "I have to go tend to dinner."

"Can I help?" Belle asked, turning away from the woman whose arms she was in.

Tiana stared blankly at her, unsure of how to respond. She didn't trust anyone in her kitchen, but she didn't want to disappoint her friend's new partner. "All right," she allowed, hesitantly.

"Really? Yes!" She shouted, breaking from her girlfriend with a quick kiss and following the other woman to the kitchen.

"Can she cook?" Elsa asked worriedly.

"I mean she's not Tiana, but she's all right," Anya explained.

"You know Tiana will kill her if she messes up her gumbo?"

Anya nodded.

Both women took another swig of their drinks. "I really am happy for you," Elsa insisted.

"You just don't like her, even though she practically worships you," Anya responded, the ire entering her voice again.

"What are you talking about?"

"She's talked about you," Anya explained. "A lot. You're her hero. After she saw you in trial all she's wanted was to be like you, and all you ever do is give her the cold shoulder. I've heard her stories, she doesn't seem to realize how rude you're being, but I know you. I know you've never played well with others, but she's done nothing to you."

Elsa slumped in her seat. "When I was working that case, she almost lost the trial on the first day when she messed up on direct. Her research was great, her notes were incredibly useful, but when it came down to it she messed up. I managed to salvage it, barely, we didn't get the settlement we should have, because she fucked up an incredibly important question, and I couldn't just ask it again myself without making us look incompetent. She's amazing at research, she'd be a great paralegal, but she's a terrible lawyer."

"And you could help her be a better one, but that doesn't help you climb the corporate tree, which is all you've ever cared about."

"That's not true," Elsa insisted, almost knocking over the wine on the table before her as she waved her arm.

"It is true," Anya almost yelled. "It's all you've ever cared about."

"I cared about you, I still do, I care about Tiana, I care about my sister-"

"You care about Anna?" the redhead laughed derisively, "When's the last time you even talked to her?"

"Yesterday."

Anastasia started. "Yesterday?"

"Yesterday. She just started dating this woman she was telling me about."

"I thought she was married."

"It's not working out. I'm helping her find a good divorce attorney in town. I do care about my sister. I care about plenty of things, and yes, work is one of them-"

"Always been the top one-"

"You're one to talk!" Elsa spat.

"I was so sick of the bullshit at our firm that I left to start my own firm, so I could actually have enough control of my life that there would be more than just new clients and more trials. I wanted to be able to actually have a life, to have love, to do more than just devote all of my time to kissing ass and making other people money," Anya growled, the old wound reigniting.

"So you abandoned the firm we'd spent years working at, where we'd started together and spent half our relationship competing. You abandoned me, so you could what, help tenants with their landlord disputes and have time to play with some trollop?"

"I didn't abandon you-," Anya began.

"The hell you didn't!" Elsa yelled, "Both of our names were supposed to be up there, but you decided to give up, and take the easy way out."

"Elsa-" Anastasia watched the blonde, confusion joining her rage.

"You were my best friend, and you left." Elsa's voice broke, she was holding back tears.

"That wasn't what I wanted anymore. I asked you to come with me, your name could've been on the building with mine, just not the building you wanted." She stood and walked slowly towards her old friend.

"Well I wanted more than that! Gaston, Phillip, and de Ville is probably the most respected firm in New York, and I wasn't going to just give up on that to go be a nobody."

"So you think I'm a nobody," Anya stopped in her path, still a few feet from Elsa.

"That's not what I meant-"

"Yes it is, you think that all that matters is being the best. I am so much happier working at my own place, not having to deal with what all the partners wanted, just taking the cases we want and Dimitri and I making decisions together. You could have been part of that, I wanted you to be part of that, but you would rather kill yourself bending over backwards to appease those assholes so you can become one of them. I think you've made it, you're just like them."

"Dinner's ready!" Tiana called from the other room. The two continued to glare daggers at each other. Without a word, they chugged the remnants of their drinks and went to join the others.

They found Tiana and Belle already sitting across from each other at the table, both with an empty seat next to them. The table was laid out with more glasses of wine – from the second bottle, a large bowl of gumbo, hushpuppies, green beans, and a sweet potato casserole. Elsa and Anastasia sat next to their partners, avoiding each other's eyes, as they helped themselves to the food.

"How was Belle in the kitchen?" Elsa asked, trying to phrase it as politely as possible.

"She was a huge help, actually," Tiana smiled. "She managed to save the hushpuppies while I was taking care of the casserole."

Belle's face lit up at the compliment. "They would've been fine. I'm just glad I didn't get in the way."

"Nonsense," Tiana insisted. "You were a big help."

"So what did you two get up to while we were gone?" Belle asked, looking cheerily toward her partner.

Elsa and Anya stared solemnly at their food, both of them ensuring that their mouths were too full of gumbo to answer immediately. "Oh, nothing," Anya answered after she swallowed. "We just discussed the good old days."

"Back when you two were dating?" Belle asked, jealousy creeping into her cheerful tone.

"Back when we were working together," Elsa answered coolly.

"Oh," Belle relaxed a bit and helped herself to some of the hushpuppies. "Did you two work any interesting cases together?"

"A few," the ginger answered. She met the blonde's eyes for the first time since they'd started dinner. "Well I found the fishing law case pretty interesting, personally, but Elsa will insist it was boring."

"It wasn't even a fishing law case. The guy was fishing in an aquarium."

"We managed to get him off, using outdated fishing laws," Anya pointed out, skewering some green beans on a fork.

"Laws which they immediately changed to avoid any other unscrupulous bitches getting off some rich asshole who wanted to eat exotic animals," Elsa retorted, ladling some more gumbo into her bowl.

"See, that's a very interesting case."

"It really wasn't. We had to dig through hundreds of cases worth of precedent, books of outdated law, and then we only spent a day in court before the charges were dismissed. The fun stuff is the arguments, not the research."

"I love research," Belle chimed in, prompting an aborted rude look from Elsa.  _Behave._

"See, she gets it," Anya grinned.

"Remember the precedent I found for you a few months ago, Ms. Agnarrsen? And the medical evidence?" Belle asked.  _I really should tell her she can call me Elsa._ "When you had to establish that it wasn't malpractice by establishing how the extra surgeries were provably medically necessary."

"I think calling them medically necessary was a bit of a stretch, but it did end up saving the plaintiff's life, even if they didn't exactly like the results."  _Give her this one._ "You did a good job finding the case law that helped establish that as a defense, as well as suggesting it in the first place." She saw Anya smile at her. "I had been planning on only arguing the contract law, the patient had signed allowing any further surgeries that the surgeon felt were necessary, and to pay for them. It just ended up sounding a lot more hollow when the doctor clearly hadn't kept to the spirit of the deal, so being able to make the case that he saved his patient's life was definitely a lot easier. Thank you." She gritted her teeth.

Belle's face lit up. "Thank you, Ms. Agnarrsen. That means a lot. I'm just glad I was able to help."  _She really is good at research._

"Hey, you managed to find a doctor that would give us that second opinion too, you really did a great job there."  _Unlike the case we worked together._ "Her expert testimony really made the case."

Her grin grew even larger, as she dropped some gumbo on her dress. She dabbed at it with a napkin. "It's fine," she said to Tiana as the older woman started to stand up from her chair.

"How about the case with our ex-senator," Elsa reminded Anastasia, happy to be recalling the good times together.

"Oh yeah, I remember, our second year working for the firm. Back when we were still hiding our relationship so we didn't have to fill out HR's ridiculous paperwork. Wow the arguments we had to make for that guy."

"What, you mean when we had to claim that his interns had asked him to send them those pictures?" Elsa asked, grinning.

"Oh, is that the worst thing we did? Didn't you make one of those interns break down crying on the witness stand and insist that they were in love with the senator?"

"That was you, I just wrote the questions."

"Oh, that's right, I forgot," Anya smiled sadly at the memory. "We were terrible people."

"We're lawyers, that's what we do. We defend whoever needs us."

"No, we defended whoever could afford us. Between that and the workload, I was miserable there, I like being able to pick my clients. I don't know how you do it."

"Oh come on, Anya," Belle chided her. "Ms. Agnarrsen is right, everyone deserves a defense."

"The wealthy just deserve a better one?"

"Oh, so you're doing pro bono work now? Is that how you keep the lights on at your new firm?" Elsa asked, glaring at the other girl.

"Not pro bono work, no," Anastasia grumbled, "But I'm just taking a piece of what they win. At least I actually help people."

"So who're you helping now?" Elsa growled.

"Well if you must know," Anya announced, setting down an empty wine glass, "I'm helping a woman whose son killed himself after she sent him to a fucking conversion therapist. That helping people enough for you?"

All three of the other women stared at Anastasia. She looked from eye to eye, trying to figure out what was going on. "You're-" Elsa began, stunned. "You're the opposing counsel. I knew I should've finished reading those papers this weekend. You're representing Mrs. Hawkins." Her throat went dry.

Anya stared at her, as her eyes grew wide. She swallowed. "I knew it was your firm, but, they're actually having you on this case? Was it that asshole, Gaston? How the hell can you represent that monster?!"

Elsa slammed her fist on the table. "I have to. Okay? Yes, it was Gaston, and I can't blame him, the case looks a lot more reasonable with me representing Mr. Thompson. I'm sure that's why Ms. Hawkins went to you too."

"Oh, you have to?!" Anastasia yelled, standing up from the table and glaring daggers at her old friend.

"Yes."

"Or what? What would have happened if you refused it?"

"If I refused it, they likely would have let me go, while if I win it then I make equity," Elsa informed her ex, expending all of her energy to keep her voice calm.

"Oh, so you get a murderer off but get a promotion and a raise, so everything is fine," Anya laughed. "Why didn't you say so?"

"Anya-"

"No, fuck off, Elsa. You haven't changed at all. You're a power hungry monster." She took Belle by the hand. "We're leaving." Belle waved goodbye as she was dragged to the door. "I'll see you in court!"

Elsa and Tiana stared after their guests as they slammed the door behind them. "I guess we're not having beignets," Tiana joked, trying to relax Elsa, who was staring at the door like she was hoping to make it catch fire.

"Wednesday is going to be fun," Elsa laughed sardonically. "First time ever going against Anya in court, of course it's on this case."

"You'll do fine," Tiana insisted, placing a hand on her partner's shoulder.

"I know I will, that's what I'm afraid of."


	8. Anna - Okay, I Am Definitely Gay

Anna yawned and stretched, looking up at the ceiling. It looked different. Everything looked different. The previous night came back to her.  _I'm in Esmeralda's bed._  She glanced over at the form of the beauty lying next to her under the covers. She couldn't help but take a moment to admire the raven-haired woman before her panic set in.  _I left Olaf at Giselle's! Kristoff still has no idea where I am. What am I doing, I can't just abandon my kid and sleep with the first girl that looks my way._  She continued staring at the sleeping woman.  _But I don't want to just run off on her either._

"Esmeralda?" She tried. Her voice was quiet and the younger woman didn't stir. She tried again, louder this time. "Esmeralda?"

"Mmrn," the body under the sheets muttered back.

"Good morning," she added.

"Murnin'," the voice mumbled back. Esmeralda sat up, the sheets falling away from her to reveal the body Anna had enjoyed the previous night, as she blinked away the confusion that sleep had brought her. "Anna?" She smiled, her eyes landing on the redhead and softening. "Good morning. Sorry, I'm really not a morning person."

"Want me to make you some coffee?" Anna offered.

"That would be amazing."

Anna threw on the dress she'd worn the previous night and went out to the kitchen. The only sound in the house was a faint snoring coming from several directions. She found the coffee maker, loaded the grounds, and started it up. A few minutes later, she returned with two mugs of coffee. "I wasn't sure how you take it, so I just put a little milk and sugar in it."

"That's fine," Esmeralda yawned, taking the offered cup. She sniffed it and blew on it.

"You sleep all right?" Anna asked, sitting down on the bed next to her date.

"Best sleep I've had in weeks," the younger woman grinned. "You wore me out."

Anna blushed, but offered a meek smile in return. "I slept really well too."

"I'm glad." She kissed the older woman, savoring the taste on her lips. Anna returned the kiss and almost spilled her coffee. Esmeralda saved it at the last moment and pulled away.

"So are we like –" Anna's face grew a darker red. "I mean are we, um, I mean –" She faltered, the words sounded too terrifying to say. "Together?"

Esmeralda stared at her. "After one date?"

"I mean not if you don't want to be. I wasn't trying for anything. I didn't even think this was going to happen. But it was really nice, I had a great time, and I really want to do it again, and I don't know how this stuff works. Aren't we supposed to be a couple after that?" She took a sip of the hot coffee and promptly burnt her tongue. She fanned at her mouth with her free hand, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Anna," Esmeralda sighed. "Are you okay?"

Anna nodded, still fanning her mouth.

"Do you want us to be together?"

She nodded again, shakily.

"Well then there's something you should know," Esmeralda began, taking a deep breath.

"What?" Anna asked, blowing on her coffee.

"I'm poly."

"You're Polly? What do you mean, I'm pretty sure you're Esmeralda. Are you feeling all right?"

Esmeralda ran her hands through her hair, trying to decide how to explain this. "Polyamorous. I don't believe in monogamy. I can date and love more than one person at a time. Or I can just sleep with people, which I'll admit is more often the case."

"So, you cheat?" Anna asked, staring in confusion at her first crush in over a decade.

"No, cheating is about lying. I'm completely open with my partners, or as open as they want me to be, I just don't believe that sex and love need to only be shared with one person. It's unrealistic to expect that one person should be able to be everything for you, and I don't put that burden on people."

Anna blinked. "So... If we were together, you'd still want to date other people?"

"Yes." She confirmed, knowing full well that this was too much for the inexperienced woman.

 _I bet I could convince her otherwise eventually._ "But do you want to be together with me?" Anna asked, trying to focus on the positive side of this conversation.

"I think it's rushing a bit, but I would rather like that, yes," Esmeralda agreed.

"But you'd still date other people?"

"Yes. Or sleep with. Like I told you, dating requires someone really special, and that doesn't happen that often. And you could date or sleep with other people too. I think that would be really good for you. You're still trying to figure out what it is that you want and who you are. I don't want to tie you down and prevent you from doing that."

Anna stared into her coffee, the steam continuing to taunt her. "But you'd be my girlfriend."

"I usually go with partner, but yes, we'd be girlfriends."

Anna swallowed. "I think I can handle that. I mean, it's weird, and I don't understand it, but it doesn't sound bad."

"So does that mean you'll tell your husband about me?" Esmeralda smiled, taking a sip of the boiling liquid without burning herself.  _How did she do that?_

Anna continued blowing on her own drink while she processed the other girl's words.  _That does seem reasonable. I mean how can I be bothered by her being with other people when I'm still married? I need to be honest._ "I guess," she sighed.

Esmeralda kissed her partner's cheek. "Good. I'm gonna go take a shower. Want to join me?" She gave the redhead a wicked grin. Anna was sorely tempted.

"No, I need to pick up Olaf. And I'm sure Kristoff is freaking out by now. I should get going."

"All right. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll see you then," Anna grinned, "my girlfriend." She kissed the younger woman, pulling her close and causing her eyes to widen with the hunger of the kiss.

"If you're sure," Esmeralda gasped when their lips separated.

"I am."

"All right then, we're together. Go talk to your husband." She left her girlfriend to see herself out.

Anna arrived at Giselle's, still wearing the clothing from the night before and smelling faintly of sex.  _I should have taken that shower._  She knocked on the door to her friend's house and waited. Her phone had died while she was at her girlfriend's, so she had been unable to alert her friend or to see how terrified Kristoff may have been.

After she waited there for a good two minutes, Giselle finally came to the door. The other redhead beamed at her. "Looks like someone got lucky."

Anna glared back.

"Date went well?" Giselle asked, inviting her in.

"Yes," she mumbled, following her friend inside.

"Come on, you have to tell me about it. Sorry for embarrassing you."

Anna hesitated for a minute before squealing, "It went amazingly! She's so perfect for me. I wasn't sure if I really liked girls or if I was just convincing myself that I did, but I think I might REALLY like girls. And she's my girlfriend now! We're together! I can't believe it."

"She knows you're still married to Kristoff, right?" Giselle asked, worry clear in her voice.

"She knows. She's fine with it. She's poly, whatever that means."

"She's polyamorous?! There is no way you're ready for that."

"I am so! And how do you know about it?" Anna asked.  _Why does everyone know so much more than me about this stuff?_

"So you understand that she'll still date other people, right?"

"Maybe not forever," Anna replied, hopefully.

"You should not be getting into a relationship with a poly person hoping to turn them!"

"I'm not," Anna lied. "Just if it did happen it would be nice, but I mean I'm still married, how could I complain if she wanted to date someone else?"

Giselle hesitated. "You're sure you'll be able to handle that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Anna insisted. "I just have to communicate with her and it'll be fine."  _And maybe if I'm too uncomfortable she'll stop._

"All right," Giselle agreed, watching her friend suspiciously. "Olaf is still asleep, do you want some breakfast? Maybe a shower and a change of clothes?"

 _She does have some outfits I really want to try on._  "Can I have both?" She asked, finally realizing how hungry she was.

"Sure thing," Giselle smiled, the fear finally beginning to subside. "You go shower, I'll make pancakes."

"Thank you." Anna turned to head up the stairs.

"Congrats on the new relationship," Giselle added. "I'm proud of you. You two seem like a good fit. I just hope you know what you're getting into."

* * *

When Anna returned to the kitchen, wearing Giselle's lacy pink blouse and blue skirt, she found Olaf sitting at the table, eating a stack of pancakes drenched in syrup. "Mama?" He asked, his mouth full of food.

"Good morning, Olaf," Anna greeted him nervously, taking a seat next to her son, as Giselle handed her a plate of pancakes and bacon.

"You didn't pick me up last night," he replied, staring at his food.

"I'm sorry, honey, I was just out really late with Esmeralda and I figured you were probably asleep."

"Did you two have a sleepover?" he asked.

Anna almost choked on the strip of bacon she had just placed in her mouth. "Um, yes, we did."  _I'm not gonna just lie to him._

"That's nice," Olaf confirmed, turning back to his food.  _Oh, that was easier than I thought it would be._  "Did you have fun?"

"Yes," she replied. "We did." _So much fun._

He ate in silence for a minute before asking, "Is she going to be my new –" he fumbled for words. "Other mama?"  _Okay, not that easy._

Giselle coughed. "Now, Olaf –," she began.

Anna cut her off. "It's okay. Olaf, I don't know what she's going to be, right now she and Mama are very close friends, but you're never going to lose your papa and she's not going to replace him."

"Okay," he resumed eating his food.  _This conversation has been a roller coaster ride._

Giselle and Anna exchanged glances, as she sat down across from them with her own plate of food. "Kristoff called a few times," she explained. "I told him you were fine, probably just had a bit too much to drink and stayed the night and that Olaf was fine and you'd pick him up in the morning. Haven't heard from him yet today, maybe he's not awake yet."

"We should hurry home then," Anna decided.

"That might not be a bad idea."

"But I'm still eating," Olaf whined.

"Finish your meal and then we'll go," Anna decided.

Anna tiptoed inside, leaving her high heels at the entrance, and put a finger to her lips to shush Olaf. She could hear the faint sound of Kristoff snoring; he was still asleep, which meant she had time to come up with what to tell him.  _The truth, obviously. Right? I mean I shouldn't lie to him. He knows we're separating. At least, I think he does. I guess I haven't exactly served him divorce papers yet. I wonder if I heard back from Elsa's friend? Anna, focus._

Olaf sat down in the living room and turned on the television. The snoring stopped. Anna stared at her child in panic.  _So much for that time to plan. Okay, just tell him the truth, Anna, you can do this._  She took several deep breaths, though it started to turn into hyperventilating.  _Oh crap, oh crap, this was a terrible idea, what was I thinking, I can't have a girlfriend, I still have a husband, he's going to freak out, I already hurt him so much, I can't keep doing this._

Kristoff appeared before her in a bathrobe. He had run down the stairs when he heard the noise. "Anna?" he asked. "What happened? Where were you all night? Are you okay? You didn't answer my calls!"

"Sorry, my phone died," she attempted to explain.

"So you couldn't borrow Esmeralda's? Just so I knew you weren't dead!" He was glaring at her, torn between hugging her out of relief to know that she was alive and screaming more out of sheer frustration and rage.

"Sorry, I didn't think about it."

"Of course you didn't," he grumbled. "I know you don't care anymore, but come on, Anna!"

"No, you know what," Anna took in another deep breath.  _Fine, I'll just tell him. "_ You know we're over, we just have to work on the papers, you are not in charge of me, and I can be wherever the hell I want. You have Giselle's number, you knew Olaf was fine, that's all you needed to know. But since you're so demanding, I'll tell you, I was on a date –"

"Oh, so you already replaced me with some new guy. Is that why you're leaving me?" He took a menacing step towards her, anger burning in his eyes. Anna backed away. Kristoff stopped, his eyes softening on the frightened woman before him. "Anna, I wouldn't –"

Anna regained her ground, taking a step forward and glaring up at the large man, pointing a finger at him accusatorily. "I was on a date with Esmeralda. Not that it's any of your business. But no, that is not why I'm leaving you, I'm leaving you because this just doesn't work anymore, like I already told you, and you trying to threaten me into staying with you sure as hell isn't going to change that."

"Anna, I wasn't—" he held his hands up, trying to appear as unintimidating as his massive form would allow.

"Yes you were. I'm leaving." She shoved her feet back into her shoes and reached for the door knob.

"Please, wait," Kristoff begged. "I'm sorry. I just woke up."

"Goodbye!" She dashed out and slammed the door behind her.  _Great, now where am I going to go? I can't call anyone, my phone's still dead. It's still too presumptuous to go back to Esmeralda's, right? I mean she is my girlfriend, but no I think that would be too much. Maybe I can go back to Giselle's?_

Anna stormed out to her car, climbed into the driver's seat, turned on the ignition, and stared out before her. She still hadn't decided on a plugged her phone into the car charger and waited. She reasoned that before long either she would have calmed down enough to go back inside, or her phone would have charged enough that she could call someone up and see them.

She turned the radio on, and hummed along to a Protozoa song while she waited. By the fifth song, she was singing along and bobbing her head to the music. Her phone was at twenty percent by the time she checked it again and she was feeling substantially better. She powered the device on.

As it started up, her phone informed her that she had 30 text messages, 10 voice mails, two Facebook messages, and six emails. She went through all of them. By the twentieth message from Kristoff she was growing angry again. All ten voice mails were him growing progressively more angry and yelling into the phone, while the text messages and Facebook messages were variations on "Where the hell are you?!" She ground her teeth, as she checked the remaining text message. It was from Nani: "Hey, I know it's last minute, but a friend of mine is in town, and I have a babysitter for Lilo, so I was wondering if you wanted to join us for a girl's night out tonight."

Anna sent back a message telling her that that sounded amazing and that she'd be there. Then she checked her emails. She had two emails from student's parents bothering her about their children's grades, three spam emails, and an email from the lawyer that Elsa had referred her to.  _Now this is the news I needed today._

"Mrs. Bjorgman,

Your sister informed me that you were in need of some assistance with your divorce. If that is still the case, let me know when you'd be available this coming Thursday, and I should be able to squeeze you in for an appointment. I'll give you a reduced rate, since your sister is calling in a favor, but divorces are long and messy, so I still have to charge. Let me know when you're available,

Elizabeth Swann, Esq."

 _And Kristoff didn't think I was serious._ She hastily punched in a reply on her phone.

"Mrs. Swann,

Thursday at 4:00 would work perfectly if that's at all possible, or any time after that. I look forward to hearing from you.

Anna Bjorgman."

 _Now I just need to get back to being an Agnarrsen. Why is divorcing so complicated? I mean I guess I don't really know what breaking up is like otherwise as I've never done that either, but it seems so much easier. You just split up your stuff. Though I guess since we have a kid it wouldn't be easy no matter what._   _I wonder what my breakup with Esmeralda will be like – Anna, stop getting ahead of yourself._

She glared at the house she had not yet actually left. She'd only been sitting in the driveway this entire time. She still didn't have anywhere to go, at least until that night.  _Should I just go back inside? Am I ready to face Kristoff again? I would like to actually let my phone charge for a while._ Said device buzzed. It was another message from Nani. "Wanna let the kids have a playdate and do some clothes shopping now? I haven't seen her in ages and I wanted to buy a new outfit. Olaf can stay when the sitter comes too if you want, Wendy would probably be grateful, Lilo is way easier to manage when he's around."

 _Yes! An excuse to go somewhere else._ "I'd love to, I'll be right over," she replied, before going inside and grabbing Olaf. Kristoff glared at her from a seat in the kitchen.

"Where are you taking Olaf?" He asked, trying to keep the anger from showing in his voice.

"He has a play date with Lilo, we'll be back later," Anna responded coolly, heading to the door.

Kristoff rose from his seat, the anger rising along with him. "Oh, so you can go off and see Esmeralda again?"

Anna stared down the larger man. "I'm having a girl's night with Nani and a friend of hers."

"Oh is that what they're calling it now? Just going to go have a big lesbian orgy?" Kristoff growled.

Anna's stare grew pitying.  _Even I know better than that. At least I think I do. I mean, Nani is straight, so that would be really weird. Wait, isn't Nani straight, I'm so bad at judging sexuality, and I can't even recall the last time she had a boyfriend._ "Don't wait up," she said as she closed the door behind her.

"Mama, what's an orgy?" Olaf asked as they walked to the car.  _Of course he had to say that in front of our son. How do I even answer this question?_

"It's like," she hesitated, searching for words. "An adult party."

"Oh, when I'm older can I go to one?" He asked, sounding impressed.

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. "I think that will be up to you, Olaf." She helped him into the back seat and climbed into the driver's seat, hoping desperately that he wouldn't have any more questions.

"So are you and daddy really over now?" Olaf asked.

Anna looked at him in the rearview mirror.  _I take it back, I'd rather have the orgy questions._ "Yes, honey, we are."

"Does daddy know that?"

"He seems to be learning it at least," Anna sighed. "I'm sorry you had to hear all that."

"I don't like it when you fight," he sniffed.

"I don't either."

"Am I still going to get to see Papa?"

Anna's heart broke. "Of course, honey. I would never stop that, he's your father, he'll always be in your life." She turned her gaze back to the road just in time to stop and avoid hitting another car.

"What about Sven?" he asked, fear still evident in his tone.

"You'll still see your dog, I promise, you don't have to worry about anything. Things will change, but we'll both always be your parents and will still be there for you."

He seemed to accept that. "Okay. Can I have some chocolate ice cream?"

"Not right now, we're going to go see Lilo."

"We could bring her some too!" he insisted.

"Maybe we'll stop while we're out." She sighed, focusing on the road.

They arrived at Nani's house in one piece, with Olaf still whining that he wanted ice cream. Anna dragged him from the back and headed to the front door of Nani's apartment building. She hit the buzzer and was promptly let in. Anna and Olaf ascended three flights of stairs and found the door already open for them. "Come on in!" Nani called. "I'm just finishing getting ready, I'll only be a minute."

They headed inside. Olaf ran over to see Lilo, who was currently blowing up something on the television. Olaf watched her play the video game and cheered her on. Anna took a seat on the couch and watched the two kids.

Nani returned, wearing a green t-shirt with blue jeans and some sneakers. "I love that outfit," she said, admiring Anna's borrowed clothes. "Where'd you get it?"

"Giselle's closet," Anna laughed.

"How'd you end up borrowing her clothes today?" Nani asked.

Anna double-checked that the children were adequately distracted by their video game and then motioned Nani over to the kitchen. They sat down at the bar and she began her explanation. "Okay, so, you know how I told you Esmeralda had a crush on me?"

Nani nodded. "Yes, what does that have to do with-"

"So I asked her out on Friday, and we went out last night."

"Oh..." Nani stared at her old roommate, her eyes wide as saucers. "So you're actually, I mean, so you're sure, you like girls?"

"Seems that way. Well, the date went really well, seriously she's amazing, I met her goats, and she's even my girlfriend now! Though she's poly and I still don't really know how I feel about that, but I like her a lot."

"You went on one date and she's your girlfriend?"

"Well I had to insist a bit, but yes. What's so weird about that?" Anna asked, genuinely confused. "Anyway –"

"Wait, she has goats?"

"Yes, they're adorable, and they seemed to like me too. Djali is grey and Porridge is black. But I ended up spending the night, so I wanted a change of clothes when I picked Olaf up from Giselle's this morning," Anna explained.

"Why was Olaf at Giselle's? Couldn't Kristoff have just looked after him?"

"He had work, I didn't know how late I'd be," Anna replied, waving the question away.

Nani digested all of this information. She then burst out laughing, causing a quizzical look from her friend. "You're going to love Moana."

"There's more of me?" Anna stared.  _Did I break her?_

"That's my friend's name, the one who you're meeting tonight. I mean I already thought you two would get along, but... Well hopefully you two don't run off together and leave me all alone with the bill." Nani sighed. "I swear I only have one type of person for my friends, I just didn't realize it was to that degree."

Anna blinked at her friend in continued confusion.

"You'll see when you meet her. Let's go, I still need to pick out my clothes." Nani stood from her seat and grabbed her purse.

"Can we get ice cream while we're out?" Anna asked, joining her friend. "Olaf has been begging for it."

"Sure, that sounds great," Nani agreed, as they gathered the children. The four of them filed out and took Nani's car, a beat up old Toyota sedan. At Olaf's request they stopped for ice cream first. He and his mother both had chocolate with chocolate syrup, Lilo had bubblegum ice cream, and Nani had coffee flavor.

After their ice cream, they went to the mall. The children ran around, as Nani and Anna tried to keep them under control. Eventually Lilo and Olaf settled down when they decided that they were on a safari and were observing the local inhabitants and taking notes. Both of the women tried on a few dozen outfits.

Anna found a blue and green flannel shirt and showed it off to her friend.

"You're really taking this whole thing seriously, aren't you?" Nani asked.

"I mean I don't know if it's me at all, but how could I resist it? I mean I just got a girlfriend this morning, I'm pretty sure it's a rule that I have to own one," Anna insisted, grinning brightly.

"I can almost guarantee Elsa doesn't own one."

"Well I want it!" Anna stuck her tongue out at Nani.

"At least try it on, and not with the skirt. Let's see if you can even pull it off," Nani relented.

"All right," Anna grabbed a pair of jeans and ran off to the changing room, while Nani continued trying to find the perfect outfit.

A minute later Anna returned. The shirt hung just the slightest bit loose on her, while the jeans were a perfect fit. Her pig tails were an odd addition, but still worked. Nani squinted, not quite believing her eyes. She was actually pulling it off. "Okay, I can't believe I'm saying it, but you have to get that shirt."

Anna beamed. "You really think so? I was nervous about it, but it was just so cute."

"Yes, get it, seriously."

Nani finally found an outfit a little while later. She found the purple blouse first, but only finally found some grey slacks that she liked with it after another half hour of searching. They checked out and paid for their clothes. Anna gave in and bought the jeans too, even though she already had more than enough pairs.

By the time they arrived back at Nani's it was five o'clock, and the sitter was supposed to arrive at six-thirty. The brave explorers, having adequately cataloged the various species of shoppers they had encountered at the mall, returned to their video games. Nani poured herself and Anna some wine, and they discussed their plans for the week, relationships, Anna's divorce, and anything else that was going on, while they waited for Moana's arrival.

At 6:25, the buzzer sounded. Nani let the guest into the building, and Wendy knocked on the apartment's door. "Wendy, I hope it isn't any trouble," Nani said by way of hello, "But would you mind looking after Olaf too?"

Wendy tried to hide her smile. "I would love to," she replied, looking noticeably relieved.

"All right, you know the rules, here's some money for pizza, we're just waiting on my friend and we'll be out of your hair," Nani explained, handing the young girl a twenty dollar bill.

Before long the buzzer rang again and was soon after followed by a knock on the door. When Nani opened the door, Anna's heart stopped.  _Okay, I am definitely gay._ She now understood what her friend had been talking about earlier. The young woman before her was gorgeous and wearing a well fitted black suit. Her shoulder-length curly hair pooled around her head, haloing her brown eyes which had already landed squarely upon Anna.  _She's checking me out!_

"Hi," Anna managed to squeak, raising her hand in a little wave.

Moana waved back, her mouth opening but not quite forming words.

"Yep, called it, great," Nani mumbled. "All right, Moana, this is Anna. Anna, Moana. Whenever you two can manage to pull your tongues back into your mouths we can get going."

The two waved again. "So, Anna?" Moana asked, grinning. "It's nice to meet you."

Anna went completely red. "Yeah, hi, Anna, I mean I'm Anna, apparently you're more of me, I always said you can't have too much of a good thing. What am I saying, that sounds ridiculous? Um, it's nice to meet you too?" She offered.  _Nailed it._

Moana giggled.  _Okay, seriously, how did I never notice I liked women with how much I am clearly attracted to this girl? Am I just that oblivious?_ Nani interrupted the two before they could say anything more sickeningly adorable. "I'm hungry, let's get going." The two stopped ogling each other for long enough to turn to Nani and give their ascent. The women bid farewell to Lilo, Olaf, and Wendy and headed out to dinner and drinks.


	9. Elsa - I Only Hate Myself a Little

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Explicit mention of self harm and suicide, as well as conversion therapy.

Elsa and Anastasia glared daggers at each other across courtroom 2B of the Manhattan County Courthouse. They hadn't spoken since their Sunday dinner, not that communication had been common before then. Mr Thompson and an associate sat beside Ms. Agnarrsen, while Ms Hawkins sat beside Ms. Romanov. The bailiff called for everyone to rise, and they did as instructed.

"The honorable Judge Frollo," he finished, as a stern, pompous looking old man, with features of carved bone, rose before them.

"Be seated," he snarled.  _I've won the case already,_  Elsa mused, knowing the judge's predilections for what he considered virtue.  _I can't believe he didn't recuse himself._   _Hopefully Anastasia doesn't manage to see to that._

"Your honor," Anastasia challenged, right on cue. "You don't think you may be," she considered her words for a moment, "a poor choice for this trial?"  _She hasn't dealt with him before, or she wouldn't have said that._

"You think I am incapable of being impartial?" the judge asked, waving a hand before him as if swatting away her words.

Anya blanked. "No, your honor," she caught herself before she shoved her foot any further down her throat, "I apologize, I know you to be a fair and honorable man."

"Very well then, let's have your opening statements."

Anastasia stood, her suit jacket almost catching on the chair. She caught it before she took the chair with her and managed to maintain her composure as she approached the jury box. She took in a breath and closed her eyes, drawing forth the speech she'd spent the previous night memorizing. "You see before you a grievously harmed woman, and the man who killed her child –"

"Objection!" Elsa immediately called. "If she wanted to establish that, there should really have been a criminal trial."

Frollo smirked, he never laughed at a flippant remark, but he made it clear when he appreciated it. "Sustained. Jurors, disregard that remark."

Anya glared at her ex-girlfriend, it was completely acceptable to say such a thing. "You see before you a grievously harmed woman, and the man who led her child to suicide." She glanced at Elsa nervously. The objection had had even more of an effect than Elsa had dared to hope. "A man whom she had sought out for help, and who instead made her son hate himself so much that he felt he had to take his own life. The man before you is a monster, and should be treated as such."

Alistair looked questioningly at Elsa, but she shook her head. The associate remained silent.

"He took her money under the pretense of offering a cure for this woman's child, and instead gave them both only pain. Do not let him off the hook for the death he helped cause." She glanced from juror to juror, only a few had seemed moved by it, the objection had screwed her, Elsa seemed to always manage to do that. She took her seat.

Elsa rose, her shin length blue and silver dress swishing against the desk as she walked. She calmly approached the jury box, a sad smile on her face. "It is truly tragic that Jim Hawkins lost his life, my client grieves for the loss of his former patient, but he did not cause it. It is true that Jim Hawkins did see Mr. Thompson, to help him cure himself of his gayness, he was a young man full of hate," she hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing, "hate for himself, which his mother only exacerbated. She let him believe that who he was was wrong, and that he needed to be cured. My client offered to do precisely that, but Mr. Hawkins stopped attending his sessions. As we will show, there were two months without a single session with Mr. Thompson before Mr. Hawkins killed himself. Perhaps if he had continued his therapy, he'd still be with us." She smiled warmly at her old friend and took her seat.

Anastasia glared at her former best friend for a solid minute.

"Ms. Romanov," Judge Frollo called, his voice sounding weary of her slacking, "Are you going to call a witness or were you hoping that angry looks would win you the case?"

"Of course, your honor," she sighed. "The plaintiff calls Sarah Hawkins to the stand."

The woman rose from her seat next to the redhead and approached the witness stand. The bailiff swore her in and she took her new seat.

"Ms Hawkins," Anastasia began, "Why did your son begin seeing Mr. Thompson?"

"Objection," Elsa called again. "Speculation."

Frollo grinned again, staring down at the increasingly annoyed lawyer. "Well, Ms Romanov, can you justify that question."

"As Mr. Hawkins mother, she would be best suited to say what he was feeling at the time, now that he is no longer with us."

Frollo sneered at the woman but relented. "I'll allow it."

Ms. Hawkins looked between her lawyer and the judge, silently asking for permission to speak.

"I said I'd allow it," Frollo repeated.

"Right," she swallowed. "He was having unnatural urges, and I felt that he needed help."  _Well now that certainly makes things easier._ "My pastor recommended Mr Thompson, he said that he had helped several members of his congregation."  _Easy objection, but she's only building my case for me._

"How did he act after he started seeing Mr. Thompson?"

"He seemed a lot better," Ms. Hawkins admitted. Anya gaped at her client. Elsa knew her well enough to know that she'd rehearsed that question, the answer had changed. _Sucks for her._  "I know I said before that he seemed moodier, but that didn't happen at first. It did eventually, he seemed distraught after a couple months of seeing Mr. Thompson, so I insisted that he stop, but at first he seemed like he had a new lease on life, like he'd finally rid himself of those urges that had been controlling him."

Anya managed to recover impressively quickly. "You say he seemed distraught later, could you elaborate?"

"Yes, he started cutting himself. He hadn't done it in years. He said that Mr. Thompson wasn't helping, that he only made him feel worse, that he said –"

"Objection!" Elsa shouted, jumping from her seat.  _The bastard claimed he hadn't been expressing any suicidal ideations._

Anastasia gave a loving look to her dear friend as she calmly reminded her, "This would fall under the 'catch-all' exception to the hearsay rule, Ms. Agnarrsen."

The judge nodded. "Overruled."

"Ms. Hawkins, would you continue?" Anastasia asked, her eyes never leaving her opponent's.

"Mr. Thompson said that he was too weak, that he was pitiful, and that cutting himself only proved it. That if he didn't start acting like a man then he may as well not even bother seeing him."

Elsa collapsed into her chair, glowering at her client.  _Fuck._

"Your witness, Ms. Agnarrsen," Anya announced jovially.

"Your honor, a moment to confer with my client?" Elsa asked shakily.

Frollo nodded.

She leaned past the associate, to whisper right in the man's ear. "Is anything she said untrue."

He shook his head, fear blanketing his face. Then an idea sparked in his eye. "But he did see me again after that. Twice more actually."

Elsa's face warped into a predatory grin. "Perfect," she whispered, before turning back to the judge. "I'm ready, your honor."

She walked to the witness stand, her eyes even with the seated woman. "Ms Hawkins, I am truly sorry for what happened to your son," she announced.

"Are you going to ask a question?" Anya heckled, prompting a quick fall of the gavel.

"You pushed him to seek treatment, didn't you, Ms. Hawkins?" Elsa asked. Her demeanor had regained its former placidity and her voice was calm.

"I wouldn't say that I pushed," she replied.

"Firmly suggested then?"

"I suppose," she sighed. "I just don't think it's healthy, those desires. People like you –"  _That damn celebrity status._ "No offense, but you're degenerates. He needed help, I didn't want him to end up overdosing in some alley."

Elsa's anger got the better of her. "Do I look like I'm overdosing in an alley?"

She blinked; the question had startled her. "Well, no, but it just leads to indecent behavior."

"Were you aware that numerous studies show that what actually leads to that behavior is a lack of parental support and acceptance?" Elsa asked. Anastasia should have objected, she must have been as pissed off as Elsa was.  _Hardly professional of her._

"I was not," she gulped.

"It's also what leads to suicides." That one prompted an objection.  _Better, hate to think you're losing your touch._ "Retracted. Is it true that Jim went back to see Mr. Thompson after the incident you described?"

"It is," she allowed, clearly confused.

"How did he behave after his next session?" It was a dangerous question, but any damage it did could likely be undone during her direct with her client.

"He seemed better, at first. He stopped cutting, he started playing sports. It seemed like he turned around. Then he started withdrawing again. I realized it had to be Mr. Thompson so I insisted that he stop seeing him. I thought it had helped, he seemed happier, but he never got any better. Then, when I came home one night –"

"No further questions," Elsa interrupted her, pivoting on her heel and returning to her seat, while the witness sobbed in the stand.

"Ms. Romanov, do you have any more questions?" Frollo asked.

"Yes, your honor." She was once again standing before her witness. "Ms Hawkins, referring to that study my colleague mentioned, I understand this must be very difficult for you, but how did your support for your son change after he left Mr. Thompson's care?"  _So that's why she didn't object. I walked right into that one._

"After he stopped seeing Mr. Thompson, I can't say that I was exactly okay with it, but I understood that this wasn't a thing that could just magically be changed. He had started dating someone, I tried to be supportive, I'd let him have his friend – his boyfriend over. I met him a few times. It was difficult for me, but you can't believe that I caused my son's death!"

"Thank you, Ms. Hawkins, no further questions."

Elsa stood. "Your honor, may I ask a recross?"

"Of course, Ms. Agnarrsen," he replied, gesturing for her to continue.

She stayed at her table as she asked, "This relationship, were there any problems with it before your son's untimely death?"  _Never ask a question you don't know the answer to, Elsa, rule one, this will bite you in the ass, you're acting desperate._

"Yes," she sighed. "They broke up a few days before."  _Pay dirt._ Anya gave her another dirty look.

"Ms. Romanov, you may call your next witness," Frollo announced.

"The plaintiff calls Lawrence Bartlett to the stand," Anya replied.

A heavy set man wearing a cheap purple suit entered from another room. The bailiff swore him in and he took the stand.

"Mr. Bartlett, would you please state for the record why you're here?" Anastasia asked.

"I was a former patient of Mr. Thompson," he replied.

"What were you seeing him for?"

He took in a nervous breath, fidgeting the whole while. "He was supposed to help me stop being gay."

"How long were you his patient?"

"I saw him for three years," he admitted.

"In that time did you manage to be," Anastasia swallowed, forcing the last word out, "cured?"

"For the first year it seemed like I was getting better, I even managed to have my first girlfriend."

"Then what happened?"

"We broke up. And I spiraled."

"Could you elaborate?" Anastasia asked, walking around the witness stand.

"She found out that I had these urges and she left me. When that happened, I lost it, I started screwing every guy in sight."

"To steal a line from the defense, how did that make you feel?" She smiled, her gaze level with Elsa's. One of the juror's chuckled lightly

"At the time, I felt terrible. Now I know that I shouldn't have, that I only felt terrible because that's what Mr. Thompson taught me to feel. There's nothing wrong with who I am, and he made me hate myself for it!"

"What did that lead to?"

"After a few weeks of living like that, but still seeing him every week, he had me convinced that I was just too weak, that I could be straight if I only wanted to. I couldn't take it anymore. I was so tired of hating myself, of not being able to stand the man looking back at me in the mirror. So I tried to end it all."

"Who would you say is responsible for that?" She asked, her voice soothing.

"He was!" Lawrence screamed, pointing a finger at Alistair. "He made me hate myself so much that I couldn't see any other way out of it."

"No further questions."

The associate next to Elsa, whom she had not bothered to learn the name of, attempted to stand, Elsa stopped her. She wasn't making that mistake again. She approached the witness. "Why did you go see Mr. Thompson in the first place?" Elsa asked.

"What do you mean?" Lawrence gaped, confusion clear on his face. "I wanted to be cured."

"So you already hated who you were before you saw him?"

"Well, I suppose, but he only made it worse!"

"You just said for the first year, he made you better, is that not true?"

"Well it was –"

"No further questions." She took her seat again. Anya continued to glower at her.

"Ms. Romanov, do you have a re-direct, or would you like to call your next witness?" Frollo asked impatiently.

Anastasia chewed on her lip. "I have no further questions for Mr. Bartlett and I call Dr. Joshua Sweet to the stand," she finally answered.

A few minutes later, a large man, wearing a pale grey suit appeared before the courtroom.

"Dr. Sweet, would you state your credentials for the court?" Anastasia asked.

"I'm a board certified psychiatrist, and a member of both the APA and the AMA. I've been working with patients for the last twenty years, first as a psychologist then as a psychiatrist after I obtained my medical degree. I've worked with a number of people who underwent conversion therapy and have had to be treated for PTSD due to it."  _Of course she saved him for last._

"I have here a study that you published, that I would like to enter into evidence," she handed the judge, Elsa, and the witness copies of the paper. "Would you enlighten us on your study?"

"Of course. It's one of a number of studies going over the damages of conversion therapy. As I mentioned early, many patients display symptoms of PTSD, and there isn't any evidence that someone's orientation can actually be changed," he explained, indicating various passages in the paper to emphasize his points.

"What are some of the potential results of attempted conversion therapy?"

"It can be very damaging to patients, it often results in self-destructive behavior, negative self image, and in extreme cases, suicide."

"In your expert opinion, was Mr. Thompson responsible for Mr. Hawkin's death?"

"Objection, leading the witness," Elsa called.

"Sustained." The gavel hammered again.

"No further questions."

Elsa took her place before the witness.

"Dr. Sweet, have you ever personally examined Mr. Thompson's particular methods of conversion therapy?" She asked, resting a hand lightly on the corner of the witness stand.

"I haven't worked with him in particular, but from my research, all methods of conversion therapy are more or less equally damaging."

"More or less? So you assert that some are more damaging than others?"

"Well of course, everything could always be worse. The ones that try to beat kids into being straight, are certainly more damaging than the therapists who just tell them to be straight."

"So it's possible that my client's methods aren't as damaging?"

"I haven't worked with him, I don't know what his methods are."

"No, you don't, so you can't say with any clarity what his methods may entail or cause, correct?"

"I suppose not, but in my experience they are all incredibly harmful."

"Is it true that you also never worked with Jim Hawkins?" she asked, clasping her hands behind her as she turned slightly toward the jury to judge their reaction.

"That is correct."

"Could other factors, such as having been recently dumped by his boyfriend, or having a mother who pushed him into therapy in the first place have led to Jim Hawkins' suicide?

Dr. Sweet hesitated for a moment. "Of course, a number of things could have led to that, I can't say with certainty which one."

"No further questions."

"Ms. Romanov, do you have a re-direct?" Judge Frollo asked.

"I have no further questions, and no more witnesses at this time," she replied, sighing lightly.

"Wonderful. It's lunch time, I'll call an hour-long recess, and then the plaintiff can call their first witness." The gavel sounded again, and Frollo rose to exit the room.

Both of the people to Elsa's left stared at her. "Can I help you?" she asked, desperate to go get food. She'd skipped breakfast, as she always did when Tiana was out of town. This time she was shooting another episode of a TV show.

"Are we going to win?" Alistair asked, his fingers tapping out a staccato on the table.

Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily.  _Just let me get some food so I don't faint during your direct._ "Can't say that just yet, but I mitigated most of the damage they could have done, there's no reason to think that you'll lose."

"Even after –"

"Even after everything, now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get some food."

"I'll go with you," the associate suggested, rising from her chair.

Elsa ignored the toadie, heading to her car. She would be more capable of dealing with this, once her stomach was no longer so empty. The shorter woman had trouble keeping pace with Elsa's stride, but her more sensible shoes allowed her to catch up at the entrance to the courthouse. "Just let me eat alone," Elsa sighed, "I need time to breathe."

The younger woman pouted but left her alone. She may have said something in response, but Elsa wasn't listening as she headed for her car. She drove to Oaken's, she needed some comfort food, this fight with Anastasia was taking a lot out of her.  _I just hope it doesn't cost me equity._

When she arrived at the counter, Oaken greeted her warmly. "Hoo hoo, Elsa, it's been a few days."

"Yeah, Tiana insisted I actually eat breakfast while she was in town," she replied, yearning for silence.

"The usual?"

"With a hot chocolate," she answered, handing him a ten and taking a corner seat so she could gaze out the window and prepare herself for the rest of the trial.  _Maybe skipping breakfast every morning isn't the best plan. At least I had some coffee._

Her hot chocolate and chocolate croissant were brought to her table. Elsa took a bite of the croissant as she watched the pedestrians walk by. _With my next two witnesses and a decent closing I'm pretty certain I'll win, that's not even really up for debate. I'm going to make equity. I just might lose Anastasia in the process._  They hadn't exactly been close the last year, but losing her from her life forever was still somewhat of an overwhelming prospect. She blew on the hot chocolate while she mentally went over her questions and closing again.

Back in courtroom 2B, the case of Hawkins v Thompson resumed. The honorable Judge Frollo banged his gavel and silence resumed. "Is the defense ready to call their first witness?" He asked once everyone was seated.

"Yes, your honor," Elsa answered. "The defense calls Alistair Thompson to the stand."

A few moments later, Elsa approached her client in the witness stand. "Mr Thompson, what makes you entitled to help these people?" she asked.

"I'm a board accredited therapist, with my masters from Ohio State University," he replied, having regained his composure over the course of the recess.

"What would you say is your success rate?"

"Well, it depends on what you consider success. Around a third of my patients manage to completely overcome all urges, a third manage to live healthy lives while still occasionally dabbling in their less savory urges, and another third simply don't put in the work."

"Which third would you say Mr. Hawkins was in?"

"He simply didn't put in the work," Alistair explained, sounding on the verge of tears.  _He really is a good actor._

"What could you have done differently to prevent this tragedy?"

"Nothing, I'm afraid. I confronted him when I found out that he was cutting. I do not approve of self harm, but he said that was the furthest it has ever gone, and he had no desire to die."

"Objection," Anastasia called.

"Ms. Romanov," Frollo explained in the most belittling way possible, "I do believe you already explained that the catch-all exception covers this. Overruled, sit down."

Alistair continued. "He seemed to be doing better after I confronted him. Maybe if he'd continued his therapy with me, this wouldn't have happened."

"No further questions."

Anastasia approached the witness stand.

"As already demonstrated in Exhibit A, are you aware that your practice has been time and again shown to only cause harm to your patients?" Anya asked.

Mr. Thompson smirked. "None of these studies were done with my practice, other conversion therapists may be hacks, most of them aren't even accredited, but I know what I'm doing and I've been able to help a number of people."

"Do you have any evidence to back that up?" Ms. Romanov asked, her own smirk rivaling that of the witness.

"I believe that would be my lawyer's next witness," he replied slyly.

"Then let's get to that," she announced, "No further questions."

"The defense calls Eli La Bouff to the stand," Elsa announced. A few minutes later, she stood before her witness. "Mr. La Bouff, could you explain your relationship to Mr. Thompson?"

"I'm a patient of his," he answered. "I've been seeing him for over ten years."

"Has he managed to help you?"

He took in a deep breath, it was fairly clear he was uncomfortable talking about his past.  _Glad he didn't chicken out today._ "He's helped me a lot. When I first started seeing him, I'd been very troubled. I was doing unspeakable things, I was snorting cocaine, sleeping with men, my life was not a good one. Since he started treating me, I've managed to get my life into a much better place. I've shaken those cravings, I have a wife and a beautiful daughter. I'm even able to hold a steady job. I don't know what I would have done without Mr. Thompson."

"Thank you, no further questions."

Anya promptly took her place. "Did you ever meet Jim Hawkins?" she asked. "Perhaps in the waiting room."

"No, I didn't."

"So you can't really say anything about his mental state or how Mr. Thompson was treating him?"

"I'm only here to attest that Mr. Thompson helped me a great deal and that he can help others too."

"No further questions."

Elsa was out of witnesses. A few other patients had come forward offering to testify, more than she had expected, but just repeating the same thing over and over again wasn't going to help. She didn't want to overwhelm the facts of the case with redundant information from character witnesses. "I have no redirect and no further witnesses, your honor."

"Very well," the judge answered. "Ms. Romanov, your closing statement."

Anastasia stood and straightened her suit. The fitted navy number made her look older than she was. "You have seen the harm that conversion therapy can do. You have seen the harm that Mr. Thompson himself has done. He caused Mr. Bartlett to attempt to kill himself, and everything suggests that he caused the same thing for Mr Hawkins, he just had more luck with that attempt. Conversion therapy is an incredibly dangerous practice. Ms. Agnarrsen will argue that there were other causes that contributed to Mr. Hawkins' death, but she can not change the fact that Mr. Thompson was one of those causes. You can't let him get away with that. Alistair Thompson is a monster who makes money teaching people to hate themselves and forcing them to be someone else. His actions caused Ms. Hawkins's son's death. Next it could be your son," she looked from one juror to another, "or your daughter. The preponderance of the evidence suggests that he played a role in Jim Hawkins's death, it's up to you to make sure he pays for it." She blinked back her tears and took her seat.  _Even I feel bad after hearing that, and I'm a cold-hearted bitch, I'm sure the jury ate it up. Let's not let it sink in._

Elsa approached the jury box, her steps unhurried. "There's no denying that Jim Hawkins's death was a great tragedy, I've maintained that this entire time. I weep every time another one of us is victimized. This child was mistreated by his mother and forced to see a therapist that he clearly didn't want to see. However, it was only when he was out of my client's care that this tragedy occurred. He hadn't seen Mr. Thompson in two months, he had just been dumped, and his mother has explicitly stated that she was still having trouble accepting him. He didn't kill himself due to therapeutic malpractice, he killed himself because he was a sad, hurt boy, who felt like no one loved him. You can disagree with my client's practice all you want, I certainly do, but that doesn't make him responsible for what happened. Don't make an innocent man pay, because a boy's mother refused to accept him. You're better than that."  _Wow, I only hate myself a little._

She took her seat, letting out a long exhale and staring up at the ceiling. Whatever happened next, it was out of her hands now.

"Ms. Romanov, do you have a rebuttal?" Frollo asked, looking as if he desperately wanted the answer to be no.

"Yes, your honor." Anastasia walked before the jury, looking each of them in the eye. "It's true, there were a lot of factors that contributed to Jim Hawkins's death, but he wasn't an unloved and unaccepted boy. His mother took her time, but she met his boyfriend, she embraced who he was, she only had to get away from the influence of people like Alistair Thompson to do so. A man she trusted to help her son, and who caused his death. There's no escaping that. Make him pay." She took her seat again. Neither she nor Elsa met the other's eyes.

"The jury will now break to deliberate," the bailiff announced before the jurors filed out of the room.


	10. Anna - Oh God, She Can Read My Mind

Anna woke up with a splitting headache to sunlight pouring in through windows in a room that was not her own. She glanced around searching for a sign of the bus that had clearly hit her. She found herself in a bed and pulled the comforter over her eyes to stop the light from crashing into her. Unfortunately this did nothing to explain where she was, so she had to let the light in again. She squinted, glancing around, trying to recall any of the previous night's events. She saw green curtains – annoyingly undrawn, a brown carpet, a few throw pillows on the floor, and a woman lying next to her.  _Wait, what?_

She gaped at the woman. She saw dark hair with tan skin before she had to hide her eyes from the light. She pulled the covers back over her head.  _Oh no. There's no way I already slept with Moana. I don't even know her. Besides, I have a girlfriend. Wait, is it cheating if she's poly? What am I saying, I can't just go sleeping around with people! Get yourself together, Anna, you have to think. What happened last night?_

She took in a few deep breaths, which only caused her head to ignite once again and brought back no new memories. She felt her body to see if she was still clothed. She was.  _Oh thank god._  She dared to look outside of her cocoon again. She finally recognized Nani's bedroom, and she recognized the woman next to her. She was in bed with Nani and they were both fully dressed.  _I must have just been too drunk and stayed the night. I didn't do anything stupid._

"Morning," a voice from behind her called.

Her head split open anew. She turned around and saw the curly-haired woman, who she had just been thinking of standing in the doorway. She groaned out an attempt at a reply. After the first failed try, she decided to bury herself under the comforter again instead.

"You two are such lightweights," the younger woman laughed. Anna groaned in pain in response to the continued assault on her head. "I'm making bacon, eggs, and coffee. It'll help with the hangover, come out when you can manage to stand up."

A few minutes later, Anna found herself in the kitchen. She could scarcely believe she'd managed to make the short walk; she thought she was going to spend the entire day under that comforter. _Why do I have the feeling that I'm forgetting something?_  She glared out of half-closed eyes at the breakfast before her. The eggs were runny and the bacon was too floppy, but the coffee tasted like the nectar of the gods. She soon found herself, if not back to her old self, then at least in the general realm of human. "Thank you," she managed to blurt out.

"How could I resist helping a beautiful woman in need?" Moana blushed, embarrassed by her own forwardness. "Sorry, that was so cheesy. Let me rephrase – you're welcome."

"What happened last night?" Anna asked. "I remember meeting you, then we were at the bar, and then nothing."

"Nothing exciting, really," Moana explained, sitting down next to her and sipping her coffee. "We had a few drinks. Then we had a few more. Then we had maybe a few too many. Nani tried to set us up, but I told her I wasn't ready for anything like that."

"She did? What happened to her being terrified we'd get together and run off?"

"Drunk Nani is a matchmaker. Are you seriously telling me you've never gotten a few drinks in her and had her immediately start trying to set you up with the first girl that looked your way?" Moana laughed. "I actually let her last time. That relationship lasted for three years."

"I've been with the same person for the past fifteen years. It never really came up," Anna answered.

"Oh, wow," Moana paused. "You didn't mention your partner all night."

"Well I mean I'm getting a divorce, but, wait, I didn't mention Esmeralda? How did I not mention Esmeralda? She's like all I've been thinking about lately. That doesn't even make sense." Anna blinked, searching desperately for memories that didn't exist.  _There's no way I didn't mention my girlfriend._

"I think you may have had other things on your mind," Moana said shyly, hiding behind her coffee and a coy smile.

"What happened?" Anna asked, her voice growing higher.  _What isn't she saying? What did I do? Oh God, we really did have sex._

Moana hesitated, her foot tapping random notes on the floor as she considered her response. "You tried to kiss me," she blurted out, before shutting her eyes, not wanting to see how Anna took the news.

"I... tried to kiss you?" Anna's face was now beet red, as she stared at the young woman before her. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. You're just so beautiful, and I'm so new to being gay, and I mean you looked so amazing in that suit, I just wasn't thinking. Not that I wouldn't want to, I'm sure kissing you was amazing. I'm so sorry!"

"I didn't let you. I said that you were too drunk, and if I was going to kiss you I wanted us to both have a clear head. You seemed a little sad, but you backed off. We still flirted some, but that was about it," Moana explained, squinting through one eye, waiting for Anna to grow upset.

"Oh," Anna breathed.  _So I didn't cheat. Wait, is it cheating? Either way, I didn't do anything wrong._

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna try for it now either. I just got out of that three year relationship last week, I'm not ready for anything, and it sounds like you're going through your own stuff. I'd love to hang out sometime, but I'm not ready for anything more than that," Moana explained, finally opening both eyes, hoping that Anna was okay with all of this.

"Oh," Anna gasped again. "Wait, hangout as in like friends, or –"

"Friends!" Moana insisted. "At least for now. You seem like a lot of fun, but right now that's all I'm ready for."

"That's wonderful!" Anna chirped. "I could really use a friend that understands this stuff, it's all really new to me, and I'm already dating a girl, I don't think I'm evolved enough to start two relationships at the same time, handling the ones I already have is enough for me."

The two turned when they heard footsteps dragging themselves from the bedroom to the kitchen. Nani was finally awake. "Did you save any for me?" she asked, sniffing at the mingling food smells in the air.

"Yeah, I have a plate ready for you." Moana handed their hostess a plate of food and a mug of coffee. The look on Nani's face suggested she may as well have just been given a million dollars.

"Thank you." Nani devoured the food.

Anna glanced around the apartment. Something still seemed off.  _Something's wrong. What is it that I'm forgetting?_ "Oh no!" She cried, as the realization finally struck her, now that the worst of the hangover was over. "Where are Olaf and Lilo?" There was no way it was still so early that the children would be asleep.

"I managed to wake Nani up for long enough to explain to me where they go to school, and I dropped them off," Moana explained.  _Wow, she really did hold her liquor better than us. I miss being in my twenties._

Another realization struck Anna. "Wait, school! What time is it?"

Moana checked her phone. "It's a little after nine."

"I'm late for work! I have to get going," Anna insisted, looking around for her purse.

"I also took the liberty of calling in for you," Moana explained, placing a calming hand on the panicked redhead's shoulder. "I'd asked Nani about it for both of you. I don't know what you two were thinking trying to drink a pilot under the table on the night before you both had work. Really, now." She grinned.

"So I'm not getting fired?" Anna asked, relief washing over her.

"I just told them you had a bad stomach bug. It was pretty accurate at the time too. You're lucky you don't remember that part. It should be fine, just don't do a repeat performance tonight."

"Of course not! I would never! Well, clearly I would the once, but I wouldn't do it again," Anna insisted.

"Thank you, Moana," Nani added.

"Oh, right, thank you." Anna amended her previous statement.

"It's no problem, like I said, you two are lightweights, somebody had to take care of things. I'm used to it." She grinned the same cocky, shy smile, that Anna found strangely irresistible.  _Just friends._

"I should really head home," Anna began. "I need a shower, some clean clothes, and maybe a few more hours of sleep."

"Well it was great meeting you," Moana replied. "I'm in town for a few more days if you want to grab lunch or something."

"It was great meeting you too and lunch sounds great. Could I get your number? If I could just find my phone." She resumed her search for her purse.

"Over there," Moana pointed towards the living room. "You dropped it there when you first got in and passed out on the couch."

"How did I end up in Nani's bed then?" Anna asked, staring at her purse as it lay beside the couch.

"That's between you two," Moana laughed as she fetched the purse for the immobile redhead.

Anna snarled in response, but took the phone from her purse and handed it to Moana after unlocking it.

She entered the details and saved them. "There, hit me up tomorrow or Wednesday if you're free. If not then maybe next time I'm in town."

"That would be great," Anna decided. "I'll probably be up for lunch tomorrow, I'll let you know."

They all bid farewell and Anna made her way home. After a long hot shower, she changed into her pajamas and collapsed into her own bed. Four hours later she opened her eyes. She hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep. She checked the time on the clock on her nightstand. It was two o'clock. She'd need to pick up Olaf from school soon, but it wasn't quite time to hurry yet. She dressed and considered her life. This had been a very strange week.

She thought about talking to her sister. She hadn't told her about the date yet. Anna made up her mind. She'd call Elsa on the way to Olaf's school. She finished getting ready and hopped back into her car. Once the phone was connected to her car's speaker system, she made the call.

"Hello?" Elsa asked, her voice sounding uncertain.  _It was, what, the second time she'd called her in the last five years? Can hardly blame her for sounding surprised._

"Hey, Elsa," Anna replied cheerily, feeling substantially better after her extended nap.

"Hey, Anna. I'm still at work, what's up?"

"You're still at work? It's like 5:30 there."

"I have a monster of a case," she sighed. Anna could hear the sound of a spring squealing. She imagined her sister spinning in her office chair as they talked. "I don't usually get home until seven, if not later. Right now, I have until Wednesday to get ready for a case I've had for a week. I need every second I can spare." She paused. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I can spare a few minutes for my sister. What's up? How'd your date go?"

Anna blushed thinking about the date. "Um it, well..." It was like trying to describe her sexual escapades to her mother. It felt weird. "It went really well."

"Tell me about it," Elsa insisted, her voice sounding lighter and happier than it had when she'd answered the phone a minute before.

"Okay, fine. She took me to this really amazing restaurant in town, and we talked and got to know each other, and then afterwards I... I went back to her place, met her goats, we had sex, and now she's my girlfriend, but she's polyamorous, and I barely even know what that means, and I don't know how to handle it!" Anna tried to breathe.

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Elsa?" Anna asked, glancing at her car's display to see if the call was still connected.

"Sorry, I'm here, that was just a lot. Wow. I'm glad I told you to get those dental dams. You did use protection, right?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, good. Anna, don't you think you're jumping into this too quickly? How well do you even know this girl? I know how amazing that first time can be, but I'm worried about you. You're just getting out of a fifteen year relationship You're not even divorced yet, and you already have a girlfriend. You don't think this is moving a little fast?" Elsa asked, her voice raw with fear for her sister. It reminded Anna of what she was like when she'd been her guardian.

"Well excuse me, I thought you'd be happy for me!" Anna snapped.

"I am happy for you –"

"It doesn't sound it."

"Anna, I'm just worried about you."

"I'm not your kid anymore, you don't have to worry. I'm an adult now, I can look after myself."

"Anna –"

Anna hung up, muttering expletives at the empty air. "It's not going too fast, she's just perfect for me!"  _Sorry we can't all be as perfect as you, Elsa. Some of us can't just date world-famous celebrities while being multi-trillionaires or whatever._

Anna pulled into the parking lot of Olaf's school, still fuming. Her car rang. Elsa was calling her back. It was the first time Elsa had called her in longer than she could remember. Even as mad as Anna was, she couldn't help but answer. "Hello?" She echoed her sister's prior greeting.

"Did you just hang up on me?!" Elsa growled.

"Yes," she sighed.

"Anna, I'm just trying to look out for you, you're still my little sister, even if you are all grown up now. I don't want you to make the same mistake again."

"And what mistake is that?" she shot back.

"Jumping into a relationship before you know what you want," she replied coolly.

Anna chewed on her lip. She had been in precisely two relationships in her life now, and one of them was barely a day old. She was not exactly an expert on the subject.  _But it doesn't feel wrong, I feel like I know exactly what I want. Esmeralda is amazing, and she's the first woman I've ever been attracted to. I think. I'm not doing anything stupid._

"Anna?" Elsa asked, worried she'd been hung up on again.

"I like her!" Anna insisted, sounding all the more like a whiny teenager.

"I know you do, and she seems to like you too, but you've only started exploring your sexuality, and are you sure you're ready for a polygamous relationship?" Elsa asked.

"Polyamorous," Anna corrected.

"What's the difference?"

Anna hesitated. She resumed chewing on her lip. Before her sister could think that she'd hung up again, she answered "I don't know."

Elsa sighed. "Doesn't that seem like the sort of thing you should know if you're going to be in one?"

Anna huffed, but her flippant response died on her lips. "Maybe," she allowed.

"I'm not saying don't date her, just make sure you know what you're getting into. I just want you to be safe."

"I bought the dental dams!" Anna joked back.

"You know what I mean," Elsa replied, laughing half-heartedly.

"I'll be careful, okay? But I'm not backing off. I want to see what happens with her."

"That's all I can ask. Thank you. You handled this a lot better than the last time we had this conversation." Her chuckle was genuine this time.

"Oh, you mean when I ran off to Kristoff's house and didn't come home for a week because I refused to listen to you saying that I was rushing into a relationship just because a guy said he liked me?"

"That would be the time, yes."

Anna grumbled. "Well just because you were right last time doesn't mean you're right this time."

"I know."

 _She's not even trying to rub it in?_ "I'll be careful okay? I love you, Elsa, you're a way better big sister than I act like you are."

"I think I needed that," Elsa blew out a sharp breath.

"What's wrong?"

"It's this case, it's just – Don't worry about it, you have enough on your plate."

Anna considered what her sister had said the last time her work had come up. "You are a good person, you know."

Elsa choked back a sob. "I have to get back to work. Love you, Anna, have a good night."

Elsa had hung up. Anna stared at her phone, worry replacing her anger with her sister.  _I wish I knew what was wrong, then maybe I could actually help her._  She resisted the urge to call her back, instead going inside to pick up her son. He ran over to her immediately, waved goodbye to Lilo, and gave his mama a big hug. "I missed you too, Olaf," she smiled. "Let's go get some dinner, I'm starving."

When they returned home with a large pizza, Anna noticed a text message on her phone. It was from Esmeralda. "I missed you today, is everything okay? You never call out sick." A smile lit up her face as she read it. It was almost nothing, but she couldn't help but feel that it somehow proved Elsa wrong. She wasn't jumping into a relationship without knowing what she wanted, she'd found someone who really cared for her and made her happy, and she just happened to instantly get together with them.

She hurriedly sent back a reply. "A friend's friend was in town and I went out drinking with them. It was a terrible decision. I haven't been that hungover since college. I'll see you tomorrow. Dinner tomorrow?" She looked up from her screen to find Olaf staring at her.

"You look so happy!" he exclaimed.

"I am."

"Is it Esmeralda?" he asked.  _How does he know that?_

"Eat your food, Olaf," she insisted, ignoring the question and shoving a slice of pizza into her mouth so she couldn't answer.

The next morning, Anna swung by her girlfriend's classroom before she went to her own. Esmeralda was sitting at her desk eating a muffin. Anna was almost surprised to see her, as she didn't exactly tend to be anywhere early.

"Good morning," Esmeralda greeted her, before belatedly adding "babe."

Anna started.  _I mean, I guess we are a couple, it would be weird if we didn't use petnames. Just wow, I haven't ever had anyone other than Kristoff call me that. It's different. A good different, but still very different._ "Good morning, honey," she replied, sitting on the younger woman's desk, waiting until her mouth was no longer full of muffin to kiss her.

"Glad to see you're not too hungover again," Esmeralda teased as she set her muffin down. She rose from her chair and pressed against the beautiful woman sitting on her desk, her hands sliding around the redhead as she moved into a deep kiss. Anna's breath caught as she almost fell back onto the desk, supported only by Esmeralda's grip. "I missed you," she reminded Anna, as she broke from the kiss and left the inexperienced girl panting.

"I missed you too," Anna gasped, her mind still reeling from the kiss.  _Kristoff sure as hell never kissed me like that._

"You doing anything for lunch?"

"No –"  _Oh crap. I told Moana I'd probably have lunch with her today. What am I gonna do? It's just a friend thing, so it's not like Esmeralda should be jealous. I mean, she shouldn't be jealous anyway, I'm allowed to date other people. But I'm not dating anyone else, because we're just going to be friends. But should I really go have lunch with her when Esmeralda wants to?_ "I told a friend I'd try to meet them for lunch, I'm still up for dinner with you though if that works," she decided.  _I should have lunch with Moana, it'll be nice to actually remember some time with her._

"Dinner sounds great. I know the perfect place."

"You always do," Anna agreed, giving the younger woman another quick kiss before heading out. "Let me know when and where. Love you," she called back as she left the room.  _Wait, did I just. No, there's no way I said that. I'm not that far gone._ She let out a nervous laugh as she walked back to her classroom.  _I totally just told her I loved her. I don't, do I? It was just a dumb automatic thing. I'll just ignore it, she probably didn't even notice I said it. It'll be fine._

She sent a text to Moana, confirming that they were still on for lunch. Unsurprisingly she didn't hear back immediately, it wasn't even 7:30 yet, no sane person would be awake at this time if they didn't have to be.

Shortly before lunch, she received a confirmation text from the other woman. She gave her the location and time, and Moana offered to pick up food and meet her in her classroom. Anna agreed readily, happy to not have to rush back to make it in time for her next class.

Before long, Anna found her new friend seated across from her with two pulled pork sandwiches and a bag of sweet potato fries. "My favorite food cart. Have you tried them before?" Moana asked. "They're just a few blocks from here, it worked out really well."

"I haven't," Anna answered, trying a bite of the sandwich. It was delicious, she could see why Moana liked the place. "It's really good!"

Moana smiled as she took a bite of her own sandwich. "I'm glad you like it," she said between bites.

Anna took a few more bites, savoring the sandwich. "Oh, wow, I forgot, how much was this? I'll pay you back."

Moana waved her off, her mouth full of food. She swallowed before adding "Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

Moana nodded as she chewed another bite.

"All right," Anna relented. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure." She simpered. "I had a lot of fun getting to know you the other night, and I'd like to do so again now that you'll actually remember."

Anna blushed.  _Getting to know me? I was so busy freaking out about trying to kiss her, I didn't even think about what I might have said? What did I tell her? How well did she get to know me? I barely know anything about her. She's a pilot, she can hold her liquor, and she's Nani's friend. Oh, and she's gay and looks amazing in a suit. That is officially the complete list of my knowledge of Moana. What did I tell her?_

"Freaking out about what you might have told me?" she asked, sipping from her soda.

Anna nodded.  _Oh god she can read my mind!_

"I can't read your mind, I'd just be thinking the same thing if someone had said that to me."

 _That's exactly what a mind-reader would say!_ "Well, all right, as long as you're sure you can't read my mind."

Moana stared into her eyes. "Let me try. You're thinking how amazing I look in a suit."

"Please, that was like two minutes ago, wait, I mean, I am not!"

"Then it's settled, mind reading is not one of my skills." Moana finished her sandwich and dug into the sweet potato fries. She caught herself continuing to stare into the teal eyes of the redhead before her and quickly tore her gaze back to the bag of food.

"So what did I tell you?" Anna finally asked, dreading the answer.

Moana blushed.  _That's not a good sign!_ "Nothing all too exciting," she muttered, stuffing a fry into her mouth so she had time to think.

"What did I say?!" Anna grew flustered as she waited for an answer, running over every possibility in her mind.  _I already know I told her she was attractive. Oh no, what if I flirted with Nani? Am I attracted to Nani? I did wake up in bed with her yesterday. Oh god, what did I do with Nani?_ "Was it something about Nani?"

Moana burst out laughing, then studied the older woman's face, looking for a sign that she was joking. "No, God no. Nothing like that. You were just really sweet. You told me about how you were just figuring yourself out, and you said that I was pretty much solid evidence that you were right about what you were. That I made you confident in your gayness. It was a little weird, but incredibly flattering. And believe me, if you weren't so drunk and I was ready, I would have acted on it." She put a hand to her mouth.

Moana glanced away from Anna and noticed a spot of barbecue sauce on her blouse. She scrubbed at it with a napkin. She had abandoned the blazer today, going instead for just a button-up top and slacks. Anna caught herself staring as the other woman wiped at her chest. She turned her gaze to her desk instead. _Just friends, remember! Seriously, weren't you straight last week?_

"I should probably get going," Moana announced, looking awkwardly at the floor. Anna had been too busy staring at her desk to notice whatever had bothered Moana.

"Oh, are you sure?" Anna asked. "I still have ten more minutes."

"Yeah, it was great seeing you, I'd love to do this again sometime. I should be back in town in a couple weeks."

"Want to do something then?" Anna suggested, desperate for a yes, as she had a growing fear that she had done something to upset the younger woman.

Moana looked her in the eye and couldn't help but let loose a shy smile. "I would love that. Maybe the 24th?" she suggested.

"It's a date," Anna replied chipperly. "I mean, not like a date date, a friend date. It's hanging out. I'll see you then!"

"I'll see you then," she agreed, giving the redhead an unexpected hug. Anna hugged back as soon as the surprise wore off. Moana smelled incredible, like coconuts and sea breeze.  _I'll have to ask about her shampoo sometime._

Anna arrived at the restaurant. Esmeralda had suggested Francisco's, a local Mexican place. Anna had had to circle the block three times to find it. The restaurant was tucked away in a corner down a flight of stairs and attached to a coffee shop. She made it ten minutes late, to find Esmeralda arriving just behind her. They met at the door.

Esmeralda swept the redhead into a brief kiss, before leading her inside. "I love this place, best tacos in Portland."

"I don't know, I've had some pretty good tacos before," Anna insisted.

"Yeah you've had mine," Esmeralda laughed. Anna looked at her in confusion.

"You haven't made me tacos."

"Let's just order," Esmeralda sighed, shaking her head.

"Ohhh," Anna exclaimed a few seconds later. "Sorry, just got that."

The two women ordered and took their seats. "Your classes going okay?" Esmeralda asked once they were seated. "I hope those brats haven't been giving you any more trouble."

"Recently I think we've come to a bit of a standstill. No one has tried to pull anything more since I gave them that pop quiz."

"Well, like I said, let me know if they do and I'll have my students beat yours up." Esmeralda winked.

"I thought you were joking about that."

"That depends on how bad they are." Their server arrived with the two orders of tacos, as well as a water for Anna and a horchata for Esmeralda. Esmeralda played with her straw, watching the drink.

"Is everything okay?" Anna asked, taking a bite of her taco.  _Okay, seriously, how is every restaurant she takes me to so good? Is she drugging me?_

"It's about earlier," Esmeralda answered after a long moment's consideration.

"Earlier?"  _Oh._ "Oh. That was nothing, don't worry about it."

"That's what I've been trying to convince myself. Anna, you don't think you might be kind of rushing into things? That we're rushing into things? We've been on one date and we're already supposed to be a couple. I'm not saying I'm against it, but I barely do relationships, let alone like this. I'm worried about you, I don't want to just be another person who hurt you." Esmeralda gazed into Anna's eyes with a mixture of concern, hope, and sadness.

"You're not going to hurt me. I'm not making another bad decision. You make me happy, I feel safe with you," Anna insisted.  _Right, which is why you're already crushing on another girl and won't even say it to her._

"Are you really okay with being poly?" Esmeralda asked. It was not the question the older girl was expecting.

"I – I think so. I'm still not really sure. I haven't taken that much time to process it," Anna answered truthfully.

"It's a huge part of who I am, I don't do monogamy, hell I barely even do commitment, but I think you're special enough that you might be worth it. I'm just worried that our timing couldn't be worse for you," Esmeralda explained.

"But you helped me realize who I am. Your timing isn't bad, it's perfect. I'm just getting out of the relationship I've been in most of my life. Well, half of it."

"And you don't think jumping into a new one before that one's even over is a bit fast? You don't think that maybe what you really need is some time to figure out who you are?"

"I am figuring out who I am. Esmeralda, what are you saying?"

The younger woman's gaze returned to her drink. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, I just don't want to be unhealthy for you."

"You're the first healthy thing I've ever had in my life!" Anna almost screamed.

"That doesn't sound that healthy," Esmeralda sighed. "Besides, it sounds like Elsa was healthy for you, and Nani is healthy for you. I'm worried that I might be entering your life when it's too unstable, and that I can't escape the baggage that will attach to me, and to you. You're important to me, and if we're to have something together I want it to be real."

"What brought all this on? I just don't understand. I thought we were fine."

"What you said earlier, I know you didn't mean it yet, at least I don't think you dud, but it made me start thinking, and I'm trying really hard not to let it influence things, but I'm just really concerned."

"It just slipped out, I guess I'm just used to saying it to my... partner?" She tested out the phrase.

Esmeralda leaned back in her seat and stared at the ceiling, her food forgotten. "That's exactly my point. You're just swapping out one person for another and trying to keep the same behavior."

"I'm not, it was just an accident."

Her gaze fell back down to her girlfriend. "Not with just that. With everything. I'm not replacing Kristoff –"

"I don't think you are!" Anna leapt from her chair and pulled Esmeralda's hands into her own. "I see you as you. You're what I want, I'm not just trying to fill some hole in my heart."

"'Just?'"

"I didn't mean it like that." Anna took a step back from her raven-haired lover, pleading silently for that title to remain.

"I thought I'd managed to talk myself out of this," Esmeralda growled. "Anna, I think you need to take some time away from me. Just, see if this is even what you want. I'm not sure I'm ready for something this serious, and I'm quite certain you're not, no matter how vehemently you may insist you are. I'm sorry."

Tears flooded Anna's vision as she took another step back. "You don't mean that."

"I think I do. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to happen like this. I'll go, you should finish your food. Just... Never mind, I'm sure we'll talk eventually. I'm gonna go. Bye." She ran out before Anna had a chance to reply. Anna slumped down in her chair, and the tears finally came full force.


	11. Elsa - I Hugged Belle Today

Elsa and Alistair waited together in a small room outside of the courtroom. Alistair paced back and forth while Elsa sat pensively in her chair, muscles coiled like a spring ready to burst. "What if they find me guilty?" Alistair yelped, not even stopping in his frantic movements for long enough to glance at Elsa.

"This is a civil trial, they can't find you guilty," Elsa sighed for the third time in the hours they'd been waiting in this room.

"Then what's the term? Liable?"

"Yes, liable."

"What if they find me liable?" he asked, his circle of the room growing more erratic.

"Then you'll have to pay money, and it'll suck, but you won't, Anas— Ms. Romanov barely had a case, she did well with what little she had, but I crushed her, you don't have to worry, so just sit down before you give me a migraine."

Before Mr. Thompson could reply, someone began knocking at the door. Elsa rose from her chair and marched to the door, opening it, to be greeted with the news "the verdict's in."

"Finally!" Alistair yelled.

Elsa rolled her eyes but followed the older man as he sped from the room back to room 2B. They reached the door in record time, and she saw Anastasia rounding the corner on the other end. She didn't wait for her colleague. She and her client entered the room and took their seats. She had sent her associate out to grab her a coffee ten minutes earlier; hopefully she'd be able to find them.  _Though at this point I would prefer it Irish._

Ms. Romanov and Ms. Hawkins entered the room shortly after them and took their seats as well, without sparing so much as a glance for the other side. Judge Frollo entered the room, and they could finally have the answer they were waiting for.

Once everyone was seated, at Judge Frollo's behest, the head juror rose to give the verdict. "We find in favor of the defendant."

"Very good," the judge smirked, "The plaintiff is hereby ordered to pay all legal fees, and the case is concluded."  _I won. I'm making equity!_

"We won?" Thomas asked.

"We won," Elsa breathed out in relief.  _Not that there was any doubt._

By the time Elsa had returned to her office, she still wasn't quite in the mood for celebrating. She was thrilled that she'd won, she'd made the firm some money, and she was going to finally be a full partner, but the sight of her friend leaving on the verge of tears with a client actively crying, not even daring to look at her, along with the sight of the joyous look on the face of the disgusting swamp monster that was her client was enough to sour her mood.

A knock sounded on the door. "Come in," Elsa called.

Gaston entered, holding a bottle of scotch in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. "I come bearing gifts," he announced boisterously.

"I can see that," she replied flatly.

"This one," he said indicating the champagne, "is to celebrate your victory and your impending equity. I've already brought it up, the vote will be in two weeks, and I'll see to it that you win." He held up the scotch. "While this one is to mourn the loss."

"What loss is that?" Elsa spat back.  _He's never nice. Sure as hell not to a woman he can't sleep with._

"The loss of your morality and pissing off your ex-girlfriend," he laughed in a booming baritone.

"My ex-girlfriend?" she looked up, panicked. Their relationship had been a secret, no one at work had known.  _Belle_.

"You thought you two had actually managed to hide it? I could almost smell it whenever you two were alone together."  _Gross._  "But you didn't come to HR about it, so I never saw any reason to make a fuss, it's not like I haven't slept with a few associates and not reported it."

"She was one of my best friends. Maybe not of late, but she had been for years, I'm not sure she'll ever talk to me again."  _Why am I telling this asshole anything?_ She knew the answer.  _Because he's here and everyone who I both care about and is talking to me is on the other side of the country._

"I've actually been in your shoes. Well, maybe not your shoes, I could never pull off high heels." Elsa was surprised to find herself laughing at his joke. "But I have been in that situation before, with my ex-wife. We faced each other in court once after our divorce, and all civility between us vanished. If you're going to make it in this world, and believe me Elsa, you have, then you have to be cold and vicious, casualties be damned."

"Elsa?" Elsa asked. "Should I be calling you Albert?"

He poured them both two drinks. "You're my equal now, you can call me whatever you want."

"Asshole."

"That included." He held up his champagne flute and she held up hers. "To victory."

Elsa nodded. "To victory." They clinked the glasses and downed them in a single swallow. "So, Asshole, don't you have anyone else to be drinking with right now?"

He chuckled. "People find me a bit abrasive, or didn't you know? I don't tend to keep my friends around for too long, although I do still have a few drinking buddies."

"You? Abrasive? I'm shocked. Utterly flabbergasted. It's like they know a completely different person from the kind, sensitive man who forced me to take this case."

"I didn't force you, I said you were perfectly welcome to stop working here." He flashed that brilliant grin of his that made him look like a caricature.

"You did."

"Wishing you took me up on the offer?"

Elsa downed her scotch and poured herself another three fingers. "No, as much as I hate to say it, I wouldn't change this for the world. This is all I've wanted for as long as I can remember. I have everything."

"Including a smoking hot wife."

"Girlfriend, she's my girlfriend."

"And I thought you lesbians moved fast."

"It's complicated." She took another sip of her drink. "I like things how they are, I don't want any more change."

"That's how I lost my last serious relationship," Albert admitted, pouring himself another drink. Elsa hadn't even seen him empty the first one.

"I still can't believe someone actually wanted to marry you."

"There's good reason for that." He gazed out her office window, watching the sun begin to set. "I'm not the settling down type. Maybe you're not either."

"Normally being compared to you would make my skin crawl, but today you brought fifty-year-old scotch, so I suppose I'll allow it," she replied.

"So how was that sexy redhead in bed?" Gaston asked, after his fifth drink.

Elsa flushed darker than the alcohol had already colored her fair skin. "You're a disgusting pig."

"That's true," he nodded. "And yet I'm the only one who was here for you when you were crying in your office alone."

"I wasn't crying!" Elsa cried.

He raised his hands in surrender. "Whatever you say. You were just sitting in your office, in the dark, moping, but not crying. I see that now."

"The sun's still up, it's hardly in the dark."

He took a sip of his scotch. "Is your girlfriend going to be in town for your party when you make equity?"

"Of course she will be!"

"Just wanted to double check. So, how do you two..." He wiggled his eyebrow suggestively.

"Are you just trying to be crass?" Elsa refilled her half empty glass instead of throwing it in his face.

"Little bit, yeah, you're fun to rile up. Have I not made it clear enough that I respect you? Do I have to also treat you like some sort of queen?" He rose from his chair and performed a well-practiced but theatrical bow. "Your Majesty."

"I think I would prefer that, yes, and you can be my fool. Can you juggle, Asshole?" She asked, attempting to hide a mirthful grin.

"I can actually. Though only when I'm drunk. Have anything good for it? We'll see if I can yet or if I need a few more drinks first," he suggested, glancing around for anything of a suitable size and shape.

They settled on both of their car keys and a stressball. He managed to juggle for a few throws, keeping one in the air at all times, but by the sixth toss, the keys smacked him in the face. "I guess you need another drink," Elsa laughed, her woes finally starting to ebb.

"It would appear so." He poured them each a few more fingers of scotch and drank from his glass eagerly.

By the time the bottle was empty, the two were singing songs together, and Gaston had managed to keep juggling for ten solid minutes before Elsa threw a pen at him, distracting him enough that he finally dropped an item. "Okay, you're the best fool, I'm convinced. Your queen is pleased."

"Well as long as I managed that," he pronounced, falling back into his chair. "You're much more pleasant to be around when you're happy."

"And you're much more pleasant to be around when you're not a raging asshole," Elsa agreed.

"Maybe we should both work on that then," he drawled, pouring himself some champagne now that they were out of the drink that they had clearly both preferred.

"Okay, I have to know, no more jokes, why did you do this? You've been drinking with me for the last three hours, why?"

"The reasons I gave before weren't enough?"

"You said you had drinking friends, why aren't you drinking with them?"

"Because they're all boring idiots. I know I seem like one too a lot of the time, part of that's intentional, but you can at least carry on a conversation."

"Even though I'm a woman?"

"You have managed to overcome that handicap somehow."

Elsa threw another pen at him. "And here I was thinking you'd grown a softer side."

"Do you really think I'm that big of misogy-misonist?" he attempted; even with his impressive tolerance words were starting to become difficult. "I run a law firm with a very intelligent woman. I'm not as dumb or as sexist as I act."

Elsa considered his words. She had always wondered how someone that acted like him would end up working with Ms. De Ville.  _But then why act like that._ "So what, you're just an asshole for fun?"

"I'm an asshole because being the villain is easier," he admitted. "We have to do a lot of questionable things, it's easier to have everyone hate you, then they'll never be disappointed in you. You never have to see that look you saw in your friend's eyes."

"Her client wasn't any better!" Elsa insisted.

"Tell that to her."

"I will!" Elsa pulled out her phone, thumbing through the contacts for Anastasia.

"I didn't mean –"

She held up a finger to silence him, the phone was ringing.

"Hi, Anastasia?" the words were heavy on her tongue.

"Elsa? Why the hell are you calling me?" Anya asked.  _It was a fair question._

"We already settled this in court, why are you even still pissed? Your client was just as bad, she is almost certainly the one –" she held back what was either a hiccough or vomit, she hoped the former. "The one who drove him to it."

"Are you drunk?"

"Probably."

"Tiana's out of town, isn't she?" Anastasia sighed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I actually had someone who cared enough to come drink with me. I just wanted to... Either to cuss you out or to find out if we were talking again, I hadn't actually decided when you answered."

She could almost hear Anastasia debating her answer. "Call me tomorrow when you're sober and we can do lunch, then maybe we'll be cool."

"All right," Elsa agreed, finally deciding on which action she wanted to take.  _Reconciliation it is._  "Have a good night."

"You too, Els."

"Sounds like that went pretty well," Gaston announced.

"Here's hoping," she sighed, reclining in her desk chair.

* * *

Elsa awoke on the couch in her office. According to her phone it was just past 4:00 AM. Albert didn't seem to be there. She blinked away sleep to instead be greeted with a hangover.  _What a brilliant idea, yeah, let's drink a whole bottle of scotch and a bottle of champagne on a weeknight. Thanks, Asshole._ She found some ibuprofen in her purse and swallowed a few pills without a drink.  _I need to get home, take a shower, put some clean clothes on, and then get back here._

She tried walking, and found that she was sober enough to maneuver herself.  _Good sign._ It appeared that most of the alcohol she had imbibed was currently in her office's trashcan. The cleaning crew would likely handle that before she returned.

She made it down to the parking garage and climbed into her car. After the headache had finally faded enough, she pulled out and drove home. Even in New York, driving at 4:30 in the morning is pretty easy, and she made it home in record time.

Her bed was calling her, she needed that shower and to get ready, but another hour or two of sleep seemed ideal. After all, there wasn't anything too pressing at work that day. She set an alarm on her phone for 6:30 and threw herself into the bed, passing out without changing out of the previous day's work clothes.

The alarm was not pleasant. Her headache had not fully returned, but the alarm was threatening to change that. She quickly silenced it and jumped into the shower. By the time she was dry and dressed in a knee length grey gown, with her hair up in a neat bun, she finally felt human again.  _Never again._

It was 7:15 when Elsa began the trip back to work. She decided to try calling Anastasia.  _I remember talking to her last night, but that's about it. Hopefully it wasn't anything too horrible. I really hope I didn't try to sleep with her._ Anya answered on the third ring.

"You're up early, didn't expect that after you drunk-dialed me last night," pronounced the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Sorry about that," Elsa tried, concentrating on the road.

"Whatever, do you still want to do lunch today?"

 _Did I try to apologize to her?_ "Sure, Oaken's all right?"

"As if you ever eat anywhere else. That's fine. I assume I should be meeting you there early then, since that means you didn't have breakfast?"

"Ten o'clock work?"

"That sounds fine. I'll see you there. And Elsa?"

"Yes?"

"Don't think you're getting off that easy. And you're buying, you did cost me my case yesterday after all," she teased.  _So she doesn't hate me then. That's a good sign. I was really not looking forward to a world where Gaston was my only friend._

When she made it back to the office, she was greeted by Belle.  _Exactly who I wanted to see,_  she grumbled inwardly. "Good morning El-Ms. Agnarrsen."

"Good morning, Belle," she mumbled back.

"Can I still call you Elsa then?" she asked excitedly.  _Had she never noticed that I always called her by her first name? Or is she just now finally trying to actually take advantage of it?_

"Fine, I suppose, you are dating one of my oldest friends. But I am your boss, so stick with Ms. Agnarrsen if it's anything professional."

"Thank you!" she squealed, hugging the older woman.  _Why?!_

"It's fine," she muttered, as she pried herself loose from the brunette's grip. "Don't mention it."

"Anastasia told me that you did amazingly in trial yesterday?"  _Wait, what?_ "I mean, she was mostly bitching about you and still pretty pissed off, but she was admiring you too. She does think you're an amazing lawyer, despite how she sounded on Sunday."

Elsa paused, looking down at the over-eager associate. "Thank you, I actually really needed to hear that."

"Don't tell her I said it though! She's still pretty upset about that loss, the case seemed really important to her," Belle insisted, her eyes widening. "She said she was possibly having lunch with you, so just please don't bring that up. She told me not to tell you. I wasn't thinking."

"I won't say a word. Thank you again, I was starting to worry that she hated me," Elsa gave Belle a one armed hug and headed for her office.  _Okay, maybe she's not the worst thing ever._ Absentmindedly wiping off her dress, she entered her office, and found the man responsible for the previous night's foibles waiting for her.

"Morning," Gaston greeted her.

"Morning, Asshole," she replied.

"Still sticking with that? Really, I thought we'd moved past it," he sighed dramatically.

"Just because you treated me decently doesn't change that you're a sexist, homophobic dick. I think your nickname suits you quite well," Elsa insisted.

"But I come bearing gifts," Albert announced, rising from his seat before her desk.

"As long as it's not more alcohol," she scoffed.

"No, I think we learned our lesson last night, I'm sure we'll both manage to stay sober for at least another day or two. I brought you this," he handed her a pen. "In case you needed another projectile in your arsenal." His toothy grin flashed.

It was an expensive pen, inlaid with gold. A little gaudy, but subdued enough to look professional signing contracts. "Thanks," she said, still unnerved by how nice he was being.

"In honor of you making equity, seemed like a good gift."

"It's not official yet," she insisted, going around him to take her seat.

"I'll make sure it's official. You've done more than enough for us. I'll get out of your hair, just wanted to give you that." He left her to her thoughts. She tried out the new pen on a piece of paper, it really was quite nice.

Elsa and Anastasia sat staring at each other across the table. Elsa had arrived first and was waiting with her chocolate croissant and coffee when her friend arrived and ordered a meat-filled pastry and her own coffee. Both of them were unable to shake the feeling that to be the first to speak would be to admit defeat in their fight.

After a few bites of her croissant, Elsa decided to suck it up.  _I'm the one that called her here, I might as well go the whole nine yards._  "You did a great job in court yesterday. Seriously."

"Not good enough to win," she muttered.

"Okay, Anastasia, what the hell is your problem? Yes, my client was a monster, but so was yours! And I stand by what I said in court yesterday, that kid's suicide wasn't his fault. He sure as hell didn't help, but he wasn't responsible to the point where he could have possibly been held liable. Why are you taking this whole thing so personally?!"

Anastasia angrily ate her pastry.

"Tell me! You came here, clearly you're willing to talk, so what is your problem?"

"Did I really never tell you?" she finally answered, swallowing the last of her food. "We dated for five years, we've been friends for close to a decade, has it seriously never come up?"

"What?" Elsa asked, desperate for any clarification.

"I'm sorry, you're right, I shouldn't have taken this out on you," she sobbed, tears falling onto her shirt.

Elsa rose from her seat and hesitantly approached her old friend, scared that any step would frighten her off. She pulled her into a hug, and Anya shamelessly cried against her in the coffee shop.  _I am so confused._  She stroke the ruddy hair affectionately. "Take your time," she said as soothingly as she could manage.

Anastasia clung to the blonde, her tears staining the grey fabric. They stayed like that for a short while, until Anya was cried out. She looked up at her old friend and sighed. "Sorry, that was... I'm not even sure, I haven't let it get to me like that in years."

Elsa had had a good few minutes to think while Anastasia had cried, she thought that she may have been starting to piece things together. "Did your family send you to a conversion therapist?" she asked.

Anya shook her head. "No, but my first girlfriend's family sent her off to a camp. One of those pray the gay away things. When she came back she was distant, and cold. I thought maybe she just needed time but –" her voice cracked and she let out another sob. "She killed herself the next week. I never had the chance to try to talk to her. She was my first love, and I guess this case just hit a little too close to home. I thought I could use that to motivate me, but I probably should have just let Dimitri handle it."

"Wow," she breathed. "I had no idea. I'm so sorry." She pulled the redhead into a tight hug again, almost dragging her from the chair. "I feel awful."  _I knew it, I am definitely a terrible person. How the hell could I have done that to my oldest friend?_

"It's not your fault. Yes, your client was a monster, but mine was too. Hell, Aurora's parents were more responsible for her death than the camp was, I'm sure. I don't know where I get off acting like my client was the good one here. You're still a bitch though," she added with a pained laugh, drawing away from her friend.

Elsa nodded her head in agreement. "So I keep realizing. I'm starting to think I may be a bit of a terrible person," she confessed.

Anya took hold of her friend's hand. "You have your moments, you really really do," she sighed, "but I don't think a terrible person would have been comforting me for the last fifteen minutes while I cried about something that happened almost twenty years ago."

"Maybe I'm not beyond hope then," Elsa offered.

"You're not. Just try to be less of a bitch."

"I am trying. I hugged Belle today!"

"And why are you hugging my girlfriend?" she asked, displaying her teeth in a playful snarl.

"Oh, just trying to steal her from you. Tiana isn't enough for me, I need an entire harem."

"That's what I figured. Is she okay? There a reason she needed that hug?" Anya asked, her playful snarl giving way to a look of genuine concern.

"She's fine. I think I'm the one that needed it. I was worried about you."

"And she told you how much I'd been praising you after the trial." The snarl returned.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," Elsa grinned.

"Good, keep it that way." She laughed, her mood starting to brighten now that she and Elsa were on good terms again. "You are an amazing lawyer, Elsa, you know that. Just, try not to let that be all that you are. It's kind of consumed you."

Elsa ran her fingers through her hair, messing up her bun. "I know. I've been thinking about that a lot of late. Maybe my upcoming vacation will help a bit. I can't even recall the last time I took time off. I've finally accomplished my dreams, maybe now I can actually live a little, outside of work. Just a little though, I do still love my job, and now I get a percentage, so I have every reason to work all the harder."

"Elsa, seriously, less work, more play, don't be a dull girl. What vacation? You going to go with Tiana to her next opening? I haven't seen you on TV in a while, that could be fun."

"No, we're visiting my sister. And my nephew, I haven't seen him since he was only a few months old."

"Wow, you're actually going to go see Anna voluntarily? You're sure no one's forcing you? I know how much you always seemed to avoid her. It always bothered me honestly, throwing away your only family like that."

"I didn't throw her away," Elsa took a sip of her coffee. "Okay, I suppose I sort of did. But like I told you the other day, she and I are talking again, and it's not all forced and unpleasant like it used to be. Maybe that whole thing is passed and things can finally get back to normal."

"You still have to talk to her about it," Anya chided her friend.

"I'll think about it. But the trip probably won't be until around Christmas, that way we'll have had a little while after my promotion."

"You just want to be there for your birthday so Anna has to get you two presents."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "It's just nice having her in my life again, now that I can actually talk to her like a reasonable person."

"You weren't unreasonable," Anya said, her hand still on Elsa's. "Things were complicated with you two, I can't say I relate since I never had a sister, but I don't think it's that unusual, especially given your unique circumstances. You sure Olaf doesn't count as your grandson?" She snickered.

Elsa glared at her. "Why do I even tell you things?"


	12. Anna - Lilo Will Never Be Caught

After school, Anna went straight to Elizabeth Swann's legal practice. Nani had agreed to pick up Olaf for her, since 4:00 had been too late so she had to meet the lawyer at 3:30. Anna walked into the office, with no idea what to expect. It was a small practice and only bore the name Swann on the door. A secretary indicated a door and said that Ms. Swann was expecting her. Anna knocked.

"Come in, Mrs. Bjorgman," a voice from the other side of the door called.

Anna entered the room. She found a skinny blonde woman sitting behind a wooden desk in a cramped office, with a large window behind her facing out towards a park. She took a seat in the worn leather chair in front of the desk. "Please, just call me Anna."

"I would prefer to keep things professional," the lawyer replied coldly.

"But you're a friend of my sister's," Anna insisted. "And I'm trying to get rid of that name, it feels weird being called it. Please, just call me Anna? I'll still call you Ms. Swann if you prefer."

She hesitated, somewhat taken aback by the stark contrast between the redhead and her sister. "Elizabeth is fine, Anna."

"Oh, good. It's nice to meet you Elizabeth. How did you and Elsa meet?"

"She didn't tell you? We were in undergrad together."

"She'd only said that you were an ex-girlfriend. I had assumed she must have known you in law school. Otherwise, why wouldn't I have met you?," she wondered aloud.

"How about we just work on your case. Your sister can answer those questions, I'm charging you for your time, let's make the most of it," Elizabeth insisted, having no desire to get into the old breakup.

"I guess," Anna muttered. "So, what do you need from me?"

"Have you filled out any of the paperwork or made any steps for this divorce yet?"

"I've told him I want us to get divorced."

Elizabeth blinked. "I suppose that is something at least. Well then I'll need the information from you for the paperwork." They went over the basics that they would need and Elizabeth filled them into the divorce papers. "What do you want out of this?"

"I don't understand," Anna admitted, staring at the blonde.

The lawyer sighed. "Do you want the house, full custody of the child, what are you after? This is a no-fault divorce state, so it doesn't matter what the reason for the divorce is, but what should I be trying to accomplish?"

"Oh, I um, guess I would want primary custody of Olaf and the house?" She grinned awkwardly, the statement sounding more like a question as she waited to be told that that was unrealistic.

"Well that's a tall order. I'll see what I can do. You might want to discuss this all with him. A lot of people run to an attorney when they could settle it pretty easily if they just sat down and sorted everything out themselves. Although it sounds self-serving, as much as you two would need to divide, having a lawyer is a good idea, but if you can actually work out who gets what with him, then it will save you a lot of time and money."

After going over a little bit more paperwork, Anna left the office. When she started her car, she saw that it was already five.  _Kristoff should be getting off work now, maybe I should talk to him before I pick up Olaf. I don't want him to have to be around for this, he's heard more than enough already._  She texted Nani a quick explanation and headed home, hoping that Kristoff wouldn't be late.

She parked in the garage, and walked to the kitchen. After grabbing one of Olaf's chocolate milks from the fridge, she waited at the dining room table, sipping at the beverage anxiously.

By the time she had drained the milkbox, her soon-to-be former husband walked inside. He blanched when he saw her. "Where's Olaf?" he asked, surprised by the quiet house.

"He's at Nani's. I thought it would be good to not have him here when we talk," Anna explained, casually tossing the empty box into the trash can so she could be taken seriously.

"What is there left to talk about?" Kristoff groaned. "I know you hate me now, that you have a girlfriend, what's left?"

"I don't hate you,"Anna spat back. "And I don't have a girlfriend, she dumped me two days ago, but that's not the point. We need to discuss our divorce. I talked to an attorney today." She showed him the paperwork that they would both need to fill out and sign. "We need to figure out how we're going to split everything up, how we'll make custody work, what we'll do about Sven, who gets the house. We can't just ignore this. It's happening, and I'd rather we sort through it together instead of fighting to the death over it, for Olaf's sake if nothing else."

Kristoff slumped into the chair across from Anna. "So this is really real. I kept thinking maybe you would change your mind. All I want is what's best for you and Olaf. I don't care about the house, as long as I can still see my son."

"I'm not taking him from you," Anna insisted. "You're his father and you always will be. You just can't be my husband anymore."

Kristoff didn't reply, instead looking over the documents that Elizabeth had printed off for them. The two spent the rest of the evening going over their assets. They didn't settle everything, but they made more than a substantial dent, and Anna was finally starting to believe that this could be done without destroying everything.

* * *

As Anna retrieved her phone and car keys to go pick up Olaf, she noticed that she had three missed calls from Elsa.  _Is she okay?_  She called her as she started the car, the sound switching over to the car's speakers. It was ten o'clock in New York, so she wasn't sure if Elsa would still be awake.

She picked up on the fifth ring. "Hey," she answered. It was the first time she hadn't sound surprised to hear from her.  _Maybe we really are back in each other's lives and this isn't just some week long fluke._

"Hey," Anna responded. "I saw I had some missed calls from you. I haven't checked the messages yet. What happened?"

"I meant to tell you yesterday, but things were sort of complicated. I won that case, I'm supposed to be making equity in two weeks, I'll be able to take that trip to visit you. Would Christmas work?"

Anna was so shocked she didn't notice that she had a green light until someone behind her honked. She drove off. "Wait, so you're really coming here? You weren't just saying that? I thought you hated visiting me, you always seem so grumpy."

Elsa sighed. She did not want to explain that to her sister presently. "I want to see you, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." Anna grinned, she hadn't realized how much she had missed her sister until they'd started talking again.  _Five years with barely a peep from her. Not like the seven before then were that different. I thought she was gone forever._  "Christmas sounds fantastic. Make sure you get out here a few days early, I don't think I've gotten to celebrate your birthday with you since I was eighteen."

"I would love that."

"So what was the case?" Anna asked absentmindedly as she found herself stuck in traffic.

"Just some case," Elsa answered.

"It's the one that was bothering you, right? The one you keep bringing up and not wanting to talk about it? I assumed it was some privileged thing, can't you talk about it now that it's over?" Anna didn't have much knowledge of the law, but she was pretty sure that was at least the correct term.

"It's not a privilege issue," Elsa admitted. "That just means I can't give you the specifics. I'm just worried that if I tell you then your answer will change."

"What answer? I'll still want you to visit no matter who you represented, I promise."

"Not that answer. When you said I was a good person, it meant a lot to me, and I don't want to make you think otherwise."

"Nothing could make me think otherwise, Elsa. You're my big sister, I know you're a good person." Anna honked at a car for cutting her off.

"I'm sure I could say a few things that would change that," Elsa sighed.

"Nope, impossible. I promise."

"It doesn't matter, it's over now, I already defended the bastard and I'll be receiving my twenty pieces of silver."

Anna grumbled.  _Just shut me out like you always do._  "Will you at least tell me what the story is with Elizabeth? I'm going to be working with her and I don't even know what happened between you two, she said I should ask you."

Elsa faltered. Anna could hear her trying to adjust to this new track through the car's speakers. She had not been expecting the question. "We met when we were undergrads at Stanford. She and I hit it off immediately. She was my first girlfriend and I was hers, but it didn't work out."

"Well what happened? Why didn't I ever meet her? I was living with you, how did you manage to completely hide such a large portion of your life from me?" Anna insisted.  _It doesn't make any sense._

"Anna..." Elsa clearly didn't want to tell the story. This only made Anna want to know it more.

"Don't 'Anna' me. I'm not a little girl anymore, I can handle it. What happened?"

"You did," she breathed, her voice barely more than a whisper. Anna pushed the volume up button on her steering wheel. "I thought I could manage to juggle everything, but school, working part time, and taking care of you, while also trying to date the first girl I've ever been in love with, it was too much for me. I told her so, and she didn't handle it well. We didn't talk again for years. She finally forgave me when we started talking online in law school comparing our experiences. I had actually been hoping to get back together then, but she wasn't interested in anything more than friends. There, was that what you wanted to know? That make it easier to work with her as your attorney?" Elsa snapped.

Anna blinked away tears, trying to still see the road.  _No wonder she hated me so much when we were living together. That's probably why things stayed so weird between us too. She never forgave me for costing her her first love._ "Elsa, I'm so sorry," Anna sobbed. "I had no idea."

"Anna, of course you had no idea, I didn't want you to know. I'm not mad at you." She groaned. "Though I certainly sound like it, god I'm such a bitch. I'm sorry, it's just not something I've thought about in a while. You never really get over your first love. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I made my choice. Looking after you was more important than being with her. I don't blame you at all."

"Then why do you hate me?"

There was silence on the other end of the line for a long moment before Elsa finally replied. "What? I don't hate you, Anna. Didn't I just say that?"

Anna pulled into a parking space. She was only a few more minutes from Nani's but she was crying so hard now that she was certain she'd crash if she kept going. "Then why have I barely seen or heard from you for the last twelve years?!" she screamed. They had dodged the question every time they'd had a conversation, both skirting around it, pretending neither of them knew the answer.  _I'm not an idiot. I've seen how weird you've been since I went off to college, how angry you always seem with me, how you can't stand talking to me. Things seem to finally be different now, but I need to know why they were like that in the first place._ "Why do you hate me? What did I do?"

The sounds of her sister's sobs reverberated throughout the inside of the car. "Anna, I swear I don't hate you. I don't know what's wrong with me, I'm just a complete bitch, okay? Ever since you left –" her voice cracked, and Anna heard more sobs. "Anna, I'm just awful. I don't hate you. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I don't believe you, Elsa," Anna insisted. She was surprised to find her voice calm. The tears had stopped falling. "You want to believe you're a terrible person, but you're not. You're a kind, loving woman, who gave up so much for an ungrateful fifteen year old girl."

"It was worth it," Elsa stated, her sobs finally breaking as well.

"Then why?" Anna asked one more time.

She heard Elsa take in a breath, like she was preparing an explanation, but it was let back out in a low sigh. "Does it really matter? We're doing so much better now. I'm glad you're back in my life, and I'll see you in just a little over a month. I'll put in for the time off tomorrow, okay? I need to go to bed. I love you, Anna, have a good night."

Elsa hung up before she could reply. Anna stared at the screen as the call ended, her frustration building again. She couldn't understand why Elsa had abandoned her. _I'm happy to have you back in my life too, but I needed you all this time. Maybe I would have figured myself out earlier, maybe I wouldn't have stayed married to someone I didn't love for so long, if I had my big sister to guide me._  The tears started to fall again, and she gave in to them, crying silently on the side of the road for the loss of her best friend for over a decade.

When she was all cried out, she wiped her eyes with her sleeves, and drove the rest of the way to Nani's apartment.

Anna arrived with her eyes bloodshot and puffy. She didn't say a word as she tried to retrieve Olaf, but Nani pulled her aside. "Anna, what's wrong?" She asked.

Anna tried to ignore her, but her friend stood her ground, staring into her eyes. "I don't know," she sighed, as the tears threatened to well up again.

Nani led her over to the kitchen and put a mug of milk in the microwave. Hot chocolate had always been her old roommate's go to treat when she was upset, which had usually meant a fight with Kristoff. Once Anna had the steaming cup of sugary goodness in front of her, her lower lip trembled, but all other signs of crying ceased, as she breathed in the comforting aroma.

"Now tell me what happened," Nani commanded the redhead.

"Elsa is coming to town for Christmas," Anna began.

"And you're upset about that?" Nani asked, staring quizzically at her best friend. "I thought you would be thrilled."

"No, I am happy about that, but I tried to confront her on what happened that made us stop talking, why she always seemed so angry with me when we were younger, why she hated me," the sobs threatened to start again, and Nani waved her hand, wafting the chocolatey steam towards Anna's nostrils. Anna glared at her, but the action was amusing enough to cause her to crack a slight smile instead of collapsing into tears. "She wouldn't tell me. She just said that she didn't hate me and that whatever had caused the issues didn't matter, but I need to know, Nani. This has been eating me up my entire adult life. I have to know why I lost my sister."

"And you told her that?" Nani asked.

"Yes! She just ignored me. Well, maybe not ignored, she started crying and insisted that she didn't hate me and that I was worth everything she gave up for me, but still!" Anna blew on the cocoa, she could really use a drink of it right now, but burning her tongue didn't seem worth it.

"Well then just believe her. Whatever her reasons are, they're clearly very personal, but she still wants to see you," Nani reasoned.

"But how can I make up for what I did if I don't know what it was? How did I scare her away?"

"At least give her time, you only just started talking again, maybe she's scared that whatever her answer is will change that. That maybe she'll be the one to scare you off this time."

"What could she say that would scare me off? It's not like she's in love with me or anything."

Nani laughed at the remark, happy that her friend seemed to be coming out of the slump.

Anna's eyebrows quirked. She tried to consider all of the facts. "Is she in love with me?"

Nani's laughter ceased abruptly as she studied her friend's expression. Anna was serious. "Your sister isn't in love with you. That's crazy. Why would you even think that? She raised you!"

"Not until I was fifteen!" Anna insisted.  _Wait, what am I arguing in favor of?_ "It would make sense though, wouldn't it?"

"Not at all," Nani replied, looking visibly disgusted. "I mean if she was in love with you she certainly wouldn't have been acting meaner to you. Maybe she just missed you, did you ever think of that? You moved thousands of miles away when she was used to seeing you every day. I still remember how heartbroken she looked when she was helping you move in to our dorm room. Not heartbroken, don't take that the wrong way! Just sad, like she was losing her daughter. Probably about how I'll look when I help Lilo move into her first dorm room." She heard her sister shouting something about ensuring that Olaf would never stop her evil plan. "Or her first prison cell."

"I'm sure Lilo will never be caught," Anna offered reassuringly. "Did she really look that heartbroken? I didn't even pay attention. I'm the worst sister ever. But like how heartbroken? You sure it was more losing a daughter and not like she was losing her girlfriend? I already lost her one girlfriend what if I made her lose a second?"

"Anna, are you sure you're not in love with Elsa? This is starting to sound a lot more like projecting."

Anna flushed and sipped at her cocoa as she sorted through her thoughts. She set the drink back down and made a disgusted grin, marred only slightly by the ecstasy of the liquid chocolate. "Ew, no, of course not. She's my sister."

Nani studied her friend closer. "Right, and that's how she feels too. You're her sister. Stop trying to figure it out, she'll tell you when she's ready, but she's not in love with you."

Anna sounded almost disappointed as she replied, "Yeah, you're right, I was just getting carried away."

"Now Moana on the other hand," Nani offered, desperate to keep the subject off of this creepy new idea in Anna's head, "she definitely seems to like you."

Anna's blush deepened and she resumed sipping at her hot chocolate. "Thank you for this, I don't think I did earlier," she replied, trying to avoid the subject.

"She told me she gave you her number."

Anna sighed. "I think Esmeralda was right." She admitted, looking into her drink.

"About what?" Nani asked, worried that this was going to lead back to Anna crying, now that she was out of hot chocolate mix.

"I'm not ready for a relationship," Anna sighed, draining the contents of the mug.

Nani blinked. "I think that may be the healthiest thing I've ever heard you say." She placed a hand on her friend's forehead. "Are you feeling well?"

Anna brushed Nani's hand aside. "I'm fine. I'm going through a divorce and I was just dumped two days ago, I'm not ready for anything more. Moana and I already established that we're just friends, and I'm going to keep it like that, at least for a while. I just need to focus on me."

"Okay, seriously, have you been reading my self-help books? This does not sound like you."

"I can be healthy!" Anna shouted, rising from her chair.

"You're right, sorry, I'm proud of you," Nani said in the same soothing voice she'd use when Lilo was throwing a tantrum. "How is the divorce stuff going? Did you and Kristoff work through everything?"

"Not everything, but we definitely started. I still can't believe this is really happening. I'm gonna be single again. I don't know if I'm excited or terrified, but it needs to happen either way."

"It seems to be what's best for you, so I'm glad you're doing it. It's going to be weird though, you've been with Kristoff the entire time I've known you. It's strange to think he'll just be out of your life."

"He'll never be out of my life. He's the father of my son. Kristoff will always be family. I just don't want to be with him anymore."

"I know. I'm just glad Olaf seems to be handling it well. He's a mature little tyke. Sure you don't want to trade? Maybe just for a week?" Nani suggested.

Anna gulped. "You know I'm always happy to babysit, Nani. Just so long as when all is said and done, she's your responsibility."

"Gee, thanks," Nani muttered.

"I should get going. I have work in the morning," Anna realized. "Olaf needs to be in bed by ten or else he's as tough to wake up in the morning as I was as a kid." She remembered what Elsa had said a few days earlier. "Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but still pretty bad."

"All right. It was good seeing you." Nani rose from her chair, and went with her friend to go retrieve the young blond. "Take care. I can pick up Olaf again if you and Kristoff need to do more of this tomorrow."

"That might not be a terrible idea, if you don't mind," Anna decided, hugging her friend. She waited for Olaf and Nani to finish their match in the video game they were playing, and then she led him to the front door. "Have a good night, Nani," she called as they went home.


	13. Elsa - I Didn't Abandon Her

Sitting in front of her vanity mirror, Elsa fixed her makeup, while Tiana finished getting dressed. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She was far more nervous than she had any reason to be about tonight.

"Mr. Gaston has a bit of a flair for the dramatic, doesn't he?" Tiana laughed.

Elsa stared at her, narrowly preventing the eyeliner pencil from going off course as she turned. "What do you mean?"

"I'm doubting there's normally a big party every time someone makes equity. It's not even like you just made partner, you already were, so it seems like a pretty big event for this," Tiana explained as she adjusted her tie, examining herself in the full length mirror in their closet.

Elsa blinked.  _How had I not thought of that?_  "You're right. That is kind of weird."

"Think he's trying to get in your pants?" Tiana asked, looking back over her shoulder to see her girlfriend fighting back the inclination to vomit.

"No. I do not think that. How dare you try to put that thought in my head?" Wiping her lips with a tissue, she studied her own reflection, making sure her makeup was perfect. Any more would only be procrastinating going to the party. She was ready. Her seafoam green dress swished against the floor as she rose. "Are you ready?" Elsa called into the closet.

"Yes, but if you make another coming out of the closet joke then I'm not leaving," her beloved's voice called back.

"I wouldn't dream of it," the blonde lied.

"Of course not," Tiana agreed, as she approached her partner, wearing a grey suit with a white dress shirt. "That would be absurd."

The lightheartedness had managed to somewhat alleviate Elsa's anxiety. The two took each other's hands and headed to Tiana's car, ready for the night of awkwardness that defined any office party.

By the time they arrived, the party was already well underway. There was an open bar set out in one corner of the conference room, while a crowd of lawyers and their guests mingled and schemed under a ceiling lined with streamers. Elsa was stunned – all three of the name partners were in attendance. She couldn't even recall the last time she'd seen Mr. Philip or Ms. de Ville. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the fact that her name would be up there someday, that she wasn't inferior to them. This was nothing.

The table had been pushed to the side and loaded with refreshments, while the chairs had been removed to set up a small dance floor, which was currently unused, as everyone was too busy discussing their upcoming cases and their various billables.  _Today is about drawing attention to me, after all_. Elsa led her celebrity girlfriend onto the dance floor, and within seconds, all eyes were on them.

Tiana held her tight and led as they swayed to the music. The two had taken some dance lessons when they first got together. It had seemed like a good workout and a good way to stay healthy to Tiana, and Elsa had been smitten enough that she agreed despite their schedules. They had kept them up for a year until Tiana's constant traveling had begun to interrupt the lessons. The two had still learned more than enough to impress Elsa's coworkers, and impress them they did. They finished up with an elaborate twirl that ended with Elsa in Tiana's arms as the song stopped and several of the lawyers erupted in applause.

Above her, Elsa caught an amused smirk on her girlfriend's face. She loved the attention. It was hilarious to think how awkward she had been about her celebrity status when they first met.  _I guess she finally acclimated._

As they headed towards the snack table for some refreshments, Robert Philip stopped them. "Ms. Agnarrsen, you simply must introduce me to the enchanting goddess on your arm."  _He thinks he's smooth._

"I'm sure you're familiar with Tiana Rose." Elsa smiled wickedly as Tiana took his hand, enjoying showing her off for once, instead of being embarrassed by the attention.  _Maybe she's rubbed off on me._  "Would you like to have the next dance?"

"Oh," he blanched, awkwardly glancing between the two women, "I don't dance."

"Well I'm sure that I'm the one missing out," Tiana offered affably.

"Right," he agreed. "Congratulations, by the way, Agnarrsen, you had my vote, I'm glad to have you in our ranks." He quickly beat a retreat before she had a chance to answer.

With their path cleared, they arrived at the snack table unimpeded. Elsa promptly dug in to the bacon-wrapped shrimp, while Tiana began sampling everything. She made sounds of disappointment and praise as she tried the different offerings. Elsa giggled over her shrimp at the critiques.

Everyone fell silent as Albert stood on the dance floor, clanging a fork against a champagne flute. "I'm sure you all know why I invited you here," he announced. _Because you're a showboating asshole who will stop at nothing to show off?_ "No, it's not for Thanksgiving, that's the party next week. One of our most committed partners was up for equity, and with a unanimous vote, she has been approved. I know you were just here, but Ms. Agnarrsen, won't you come join me?"

"Am I going to have to dance with you?" Elsa grumbled as she abandoned the shrimp to approach her –  _Wait, are we friends? I should really know the answer to that question. Every fiber of my being wants to scream no, but I am somewhat concerned that that would not be accurate._

As she sheepishly walked towards her friend, he grinned and responded "I've seen how good your date is with knives, I'd rather not cross her, I'll save my dance card for someone else." She reached him and stared out at her coworkers. Every one of them would gladly stab her in the back to be in her position right then. "Elsa Agnarrsen, very few lawyers are worthy of this position, I'm glad to have you with us. Maybe some day your name will be next to mine above the door."

Her nerves steeled at that remark as her face lit up.  _It absolutely will be._ "Thank you, Albert,"  _equals now, right Asshole?_  "This firm is my life, it's an honor to finally make it this far, and I can promise, my name is going to be up there."  _If I'm going to make enemies today, I might as well deserve it._

After the toast, Elsa returned to Tiana with Gaston in tow. "So, this is the lovely Tiana Rose, I've heard so much," Gaston declared, extending his hand to the Southern belle.  _If he kisses her hand I'm killing him._

"And you would be Albert," she laughed, as he brought her hand to his lips.  _Well great, now I have to kill one of my only friends._ "Elsa told me that you were there for her after the trial, thank you. I wish I could have been."

 _Great, make it sound like I actually appreciate his annoying ass._ "I was happy to help. She's a great lawyer and a hell of a lot more fun than most of the pricks I'm stuck with around here." He indicated Robert with a movement of his chin, prompting another laugh from Tiana before he released her hand and helped himself to the last of the bacon-wrapped shrimp.

"Well I'm glad she has a friend like you here."  _You do remember how much I was bitching about him before, right? That he was the one that gave me that trial in the first place?_

A brawny arm slid around Elsa's waist and pulled her flush against the brunet. "That's me," his glinting smile flashed, "Always looking after your girl. We're like two peas in a pod."

"Are we now?" Elsa growled.

"Oh come on, you're not still pissed at me for the Thompson case, are you? I thought we were past that."

"I understand that one, it's more all the various bigoted and hateful comments you've said throughout the year," she spat back, trying to pry herself loose from his grip.

He let her go and she barely prevented herself from falling to the floor. He looked down at her, his eyes soft, as he fumbled for words. "You're right," he finally announced, his gaze turning to the floor. "I've explained my reasoning, but that doesn't excuse my behavior, and I'm sure you're not the only person I've hurt with it."

Elsa blinked, staring into his eyes, which looked almost genuine – downturn and hooded in shame, as she found her balance. "You've hurt a lot of people here. I know you were part of why Anastasia quit in the first place, though certainly not the biggest part."

He looked up, meeting her eyes again. "I'm sorry," he breathed, as he pulled her into a hug.

Elsa resisted making a quip about sexual harassment and instead wrapped a single arm loosely around him and patted gently at his back. It was a start.

When the hug finally broke, they found themselves only a few feet from Ms. de Ville. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked.

Elsa blinked and sputtered, pulling away from the older man. "No, he was – Uh, just congratulating me."

"Congratulatory hugs are always the best hugs," he beamed, his boisterous composure restored.

"Quite," she considered, staring at the ensemble before her. "Mr. Gaston's hug will have to suffice, I'm afraid I'm not much of a hugger, darling. Congratulations nonetheless, Ms. Agnarrsen."

"Thank you, Ms. de Ville," Elsa coughed. She couldn't think of the last time the woman had even addressed her.

"Well I'll let you three get on with whatever chicanery you were attempting." What may have been a laugh barked out from her mouth. It made a shiver run up Elsa's spine. De Ville turned on her heel and sauntered over to the bar.

Following her example, the trio did the same and helped themselves to the drinks. In theory they were free, but as two of them now had their income tied to the firm's earnings, they had already paid for the drinks. They decided to get their money's worth.

The days flew by as Elsa buried herself in proving to all of her new equals exactly why she was worth it. Ten days after the party, she found herself having to say goodbye to Tiana once again.

Tiana was baking provolone crusted chicken breasts, with green beans and minestrone. Elsa set the table while the aromas permeated the house. The two exchanged affectionate glances as they went about their tasks.

When the meal was ready, they sat across from each other at the dining room table. Elsa was going to miss this for the next few days. As much as it was nice to be able to get work done while she ate, nothing made her feel better than sharing a meal with her girlfriend at the end of a long day, knowing that Tiana had waited until eight or later for dinner most of those nights. "The flight's at midnight, right?" Elsa double checked.  _I'm not going to just assume I know the time again, not after what happened the last time._

"That's right, but you don't have to stay up so late. It's all right, really, I can just call a cab," Tiana insisted as she skewered a few green beans on a fork.

"I'll be dropping you off at ten, it's hardly late, and besides, it's a Friday."

"I don't think I can recall the last time you took a Saturday off."

In lieu of admitting that Tiana was correct, Elsa cut into the chicken and helped herself to a bite.  _Is saying that her food is delicious redundant at this point?_  "I'm a full partner now. I can take all the time off I want."

"Does this mean I should start expecting you home for a reasonable dinner time?" Tiana inquired, her face turned towards her plate so that Elsa couldn't read her expression.  _I knew she hadn't really been okay with that._

"Yeah, unless there's something really urgent, I promise I'll make it home to you before six, all right? I'm sorry that you've had to put up with that for so long."

Tiana allowed a slight smile before dabbing at her lips with a napkin. "It's fine. You put up with me being gone for days or weeks at a time, it would hardly be fair of me to complain about your long hours. Besides, I'm sure they hurt you more than they do me. I love you, Elsa, I wasn't trying to sound annoyed. I'm just glad that I'll be able to see you more. Maybe you could even come with me on my next trip?" Her eyes lit up with the possibility. It had been over a year since the last time Elsa had joined her.

"Of course." Elsa grinned.  _As much as I hated it, I also kind of loved it. I don't need all that fame and recognition, that's just annoying, but being there, seeing it be filmed, and watching her do what she loves was all amazing. And okay, maybe there's a tiny part of me that liked being on TV._ "After we get back from Portland, I promise, I'll join you on your next trip."

"Wow, getting you to leave New York twice in about a month, are you sure you're feeling all right?" Tiana laughed.

"I love New York as much as the next girl, but I love you more."

"Good answer."

"Thanks. You know, some people even pay me to talk, I hear I'm kinda good at it."

"I think they pay me more to say a lot less."

Elsa paused, trying to consider whether or not this was true.  _We're both paid frankly ridiculous amounts of money for what we do. I'm not entirely sure how it would work out to who makes more. It usually depends on the year for her, but how much of what we each do is talking? My job has been progressively less research as my paycheck went up higher, but I'm not sure even what percentage of that is talking. She doesn't work any stable hours, but what she does is mostly instructing other people._ "I'm honestly not sure," she announced, her calculations coming up inconclusive.

"I was just joking. I'm sure you're paid way more for talking than I am."

Elsa shook her head. "You make about as much as I do, and your job involves a lot of talking. It's not quite the same thing, and it's really tough to measure, but I think it's actually pretty close."

"Huh." Tiana mused over this. "You might have a point."

The couple exchanged affectionate glances as they silently attempted to weigh the numbers over their meal. "I have to admit," Elsa began, breaking the silence, "I've completely forgotten what this trip is for. It's not another restaurant opening, is it?"

Tiana gave her a playful glare. "How could you forget, Elsa? I can't believe you. I've probably told you at least once!"

"How about I get on my knees and beg forgiveness?" Elsa offered with a lascivious grin.

"As tempting as that offer is, I think I would end up missing my flight. I'm a guest judge on a cooking show. Nothing major, but it should be fun. Sounds like it's going to be a crab boil, and I'm never one for missing that."

"Oh," Elsa sighed.  _That would've been my fifth guess._ "Is your show still supposed to be coming back for a fourth season?"

Tiana nodded. "Yes, we'll start filming in February. You'll have to join me for that. I haven't had you on my show since back when we first started dating."

"I liked it that way," Elsa grumbled, receiving a stern look from her partner. "I mean I'd love to," she amended. "It's been too long."

"That's more like it." She checked the time on her phone. "We should get going. The pie should be done cooling, I'll cut us some slices for the car?"

"You'll have to feed it to me while I drive, but sure. You go do that, I'll put your bags in the car."

The dutch apple pie melted on Elsa's tongue at a red light. It was creamy and just shy of too sweet. She almost missed the light change as Tiana tried to feed her another bite. "I'm gonna miss you," she sighed, as Tiana ate the piece before it fell on the seat. "It never gets any easier watching you fly off for a week."

Tiana gazed out the window at the passing buildings, hiding her tears. "It'll only be three days."

"I know, but it feels like you just made it back from the last trip. I'm so happy for you, and it's amazing that you do all this stuff and I know you love it, I'm just going to miss you."

"Even though you'll be able to have pizza and fast food?" Tiana retorted sardonically, wiping her eyes.

"They will bring me some comfort."

"I left two meals for you in the fridge. Don't let them go to waste this time."

Elsa smiled, sparing a glance at the younger woman before turning back to the road. "I wouldn't dream of it."  _This time._

The hug outside the car went on for a good many minutes before the two gazed into each others tear-rimmed eyes. "Don't forget to call," Elsa stated, her arms still on her partner's waist.

"I won't," Tiana promised. "I'll see you soon." Their lips met, tasting salt water.

Elsa watched as she dragged the suitcase behind her into the terminal.  _At least it's a nice view._

Elsa's fingers raced across the keyboard. "I just booked the flight. I'll be there at 1:00 PM on the 19th. I can't wait to see you! I hope you've picked out the perfect present for me, because basically the entire future of our relationship hinges on it. I really hope you know that I'm kidding, sarcasm in text and all that, you don't need to get me anything, I'm just glad things are back to how they used to be."  _Are you ever going to tell her why they stopped being like that? You know you need to. You have to own up to why you've been such a bitch to her for the last decade._ "Don't leave me waiting at the airport! I'll see you then. Love you!" She clicked send before she could further consider spilling everything.  _Maybe when I see her, but I'm sure as hell not putting that in an email._

She sent a few more emails to several of her clients, letting them know what was going on with their cases, and in general making sure she had plenty of billable hours for which they would be paying the firm – which she was happy to remind herself now meant her. Then she noticed an email from Elizabeth.  _Now this is a surprise. I figured that introduction would be the extent of things._

"Elsa,

Just wanted to let you know that I'm taking care of things for Anna (and charging her a very reasonable rate, might I add.) It doesn't look like it should be too complicated, her soon to be ex-husband and she managed to work things out pretty equitably, and I only had to help out a little bit. It'll be going to court next month. Just figured I'd let you know.

Hope all is well with you,

Elizabeth Swann, Esq."

_Next month?_

"When next month? I'm going to be in town then, I might be able to go as support. Really wasn't expecting that. Maybe we could grab drinks and catch up while I'm there, it's been too long.

I can't believe you write such formal emails to someone you've known for fifteen years,

Elsa Agnarrsen, also Esq. obviously."

She clicked send, chuckling lightly at the soft ribbing. She hoped that her sometimes friend would take it well.  _Maybe I shouldn't have done that. Crap, I should have just taken the hint and kept things professional._ She stared at the screen, chewing on her lower lip.  _Oh well, too late now._

She continued to watch her laptop as if she expected an immediate response from the other blonde.  _It is only about 2 there, even though it's Saturday, she may still be at work, she might actually have already seen it._ Her fingers beat out a staccato on the computer as she continued to stare.

Her phone buzzing on the coffee table interrupted her anxiety. The display said 'Anastasia.'

"Hey, Anya," Elsa answered.  _Maybe she wants to grab dinner. I hope she wants pizza._

"Hey, Elsa, I know it's last minute," Anya began, "But Belle and I were wondering if you two would be up for another double date. Hopefully this one would be a bit less explosive. I promise not to storm out again," she offered, her voice somewhere between joking and serious.

"I'd love to, but Tiana is out of town. Next weekend instead?" She offered.

"She's gone again? I'm sorry. How about we head over there?"

Elsa considered this for a second. She was starting to get along better with Belle, but she wasn't sure how willing she was to invite her back into her home just yet.

"I'll grab Motorino's," Anya added, knowing Elsa's weaknesses all too well.

"Get me a margarita pizza," she consented. "I'll see you in a couple hours?"

"Maybe a little less, but yeah, probably around 7."

They hung up and Elsa glanced around for anything that needed tidying up. Fortunately other than a stack of manila envelopes on the dining room table, it was still fairly immaculate. She started an episode of one of the shows she was behind on and waited for her friends.  _Nope. Not willing to call Belle a friend. I'm waiting for my friend plus one._

A few minutes before seven, Anastasia walked in through Elsa's front door carrying two pizza boxes, wearing jeans and a t-shirt under an Army surplus jacket.  _I can't even recall the last time I saw her without a suit._  Belle trailed behind her carrying two-liter bottles of soda. "Are we having a party?" Elsa asked. "I haven't seen a spread this unhealthy since we were back at Harvard."

"Your girl's out of town and you and I are only just back to being civil. You deserve a day to pig out without thinking about calories or heart burn." Anastasia set the pizza boxes down on the coffee table and threw herself onto the couch before grabbing the remote and scanning through Elsa's queue.

Elsa stared at her for a moment before relenting. "Fine, but if you get anything on the couch, I'm going to kill you."

"That's reasonable. Grab us some plates?" She asked, giving Elsa puppy dog eyes from her newly made indent in the plush furniture.

"All right. I'll also grab some antacid." She walked off to the kitchen before returning with the promised items, only to find Belle still standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Belle, sit down, I'll grab some cups too."

"I just wanted to make sure I wasn't intruding. I feel like such a third wheel around you two. You have years of history. I've, what – known you both for maybe a year?" She replied, hesitantly seating herself in a well-cushioned recliner.

"Honey," Anya laughed, "I'm pretty sure Elsa feels the same way. You're my girlfriend and hers is gone. Well if you're both third wheels, then clearly this is a trike."

Belle stared at her. "I didn't think you two would be into that."

"Uh, what?" Elsa asked, returning with the cups. "Did I miss something? I was only in the next room, I thought I heard everything, but I am deeply confused."

Anastasia stared at her partner. "What are you talking about?"

Belle's face reddened. "Never mind. I misunderstood." She grabbed a slice of pizza and a plate and busied her mouth to avoid answering the questions implied by the continued stares.

The other two exchanged glances before Elsa took her seat on the couch and put a slice of both pizzas on her plate. "Find anything good?"

The redhead continued to study the screen. "Just this painfully straight romcom. I've heard good things about it though?"

"Are we sure we want to encourage that lifestyle?" Elsa asked, sounding earnest as she took a bite of the margarita pizza.

"I know, it's disgusting, but it's literally the only movie I can find that sounds even slightly appealing. Babe, you all right with it?"

"I'll just cover my eyes if there's any kissing. You can put it on."

"Perfect." She started the movie and leaned back before promptly smearing sauce and cheese on her face as she ate a slice of the meatier pizza.

Before the first kiss, all that was left in the pizza boxes was a few stray pieces of cheese and one lone sausage. The sodas had only fared better due to being replaced with wine before the first bottle was emptied. Though the cola continued emptying as Belle cut her wine with it, to the alarmed looks of the old friends. "What are you doing?" Anastasia asked the first time it happened, talking over the man's declaration of love on the screen.

"Wine and coke is really good," Belle explained, her eyes darting between the two.

 _That's horrifying._ "Is it?"Elsa asked. _You can be nice to Belle, you can be nice to Belle._

The brunette handed her her cup. Elsa sniffed at it, her nose wrinkling as she studied the strange concoction. "Try it," Belle added, encouragingly.

"You're not really going to drink that, are you?" Anya gaped at the blonde, watching in disbelief as the cup met her lips.

As the liquid reached her tongue, Elsa was surprised that she didn't gag. She swallowed the drink and passed the cup back to Belle. "It's not as bad as I thought it would be, but this is really good wine. You should try it without cutting it. Maybe you'll like it."  _Extend an olive branch, don't be a bitch, that's right, you can do it._ She offered her own glass to the younger woman.  _There is nothing wrong with her using your glass, don't be weird about this._

Belle stared at the proffered glass before finally taking it. She glanced into Elsa's ice blue eyes as she brought the wine to her lips, slowly tilting it back until the lavender liquid found her tongue. Her eyes widened before narrowing again, as the glass tipped back further. With a languid smile, she handed the mostly empty wine glass back to her hostess. "You're right. That is really good. Sorry for draining your drink."

Elsa held back her irritation and allowed a smile before refilling the glass. "Save the soda for when you're drinking cheap wine. This stuff deserves better than that."

Anya patted Elsa on the shoulder in silent praise as they all turned their attention back to the movie. Having to watch a straight couple go at it was enough to put a damper on the jovial mood as they settled in for the remainder of the film.

As the love song played over the credits, Belle snored in the recliner. "How do you sleep through that?" Elsa asked, rotating in her seat to face Anastasia.

Anya eyed her. "And here I thought you were finally playing nice."

"I am!" Elsa waved her hands in surrender. "I was just joking."

"I was too," her hand patted Elsa's knee, her smile warm. "You're doing a lot better. I'm glad you're finally starting to drop that whole ice queen persona. It's great in the court room, but, be honest with me, how many friends do you have left at this point?"

Elsa took a large swallow of wine before replying. "Does Anna count?"

"How close are you two right now?"

"I told you I'm seeing her in a couple weeks, and we came out to each other."

"All right, Anna counts."

"Then I have three friends." Elsa sighed, staring into her glass.  _I had zero a month ago, I don't know what I'm complaining about._

Anya turned the rest of the way toward her friend and considered her words. "Anna, Belle, and me?"

"Oh, I wasn't counting Belle."  _I'm not sure I could ever count Belle._  "I meant –"  _Oh God, am I really going to tell Anya that I'm friends with Gaston. She'll never look at me the same way again. Quick, say you were counting Tiana!_ "Gaston."

Anastasia blinked, her hand rising from Elsa's knee. "You're friends with that dickbag?"

Elsa swallowed, wishing that she'd taken her own advice. "Kind of. He was there for me when no one else was – when I thought I'd lost you. I'm still really hesitant to call him that, because he is a complete asshole, but he's trying to be better, and I don't know how I would have handled everything without him. Hell, I wouldn't have made equity without him."  _She promised she wouldn't storm out this time._

"Albert Gaston was there for you? Are you sure we're talking about the same guy? That bigoted douche canoe who said that I shouldn't make partner because I was a 'dyke?'"

 _Did he really say that?_ She racked her brain.  _He said 'lesbian,' but that really isn't much better._ "That was my response too."

"Are you drugging him or something? Wait, what's in this wine?" Anya stared at her drink as if convinced she must be hallucinating this entire conversation.

"Well he's been drunk most of the time he's been friendly."  _Except when he gave me that pen._ "Maybe he's just having an off week."

"I don't know how to feel about this, Els. That guy made our lives a living hell the whole time I was there. How can you put up with him?"

"He can be rather trying at times," Elsa admitted. "But when I really needed someone, it was him or no one, so I'm willing to give him a second – or twentieth – chance. I hope this doesn't mess things up between us."

Anastasia glanced at Belle's sleeping form before turning back to the woman across from her, mulling over her response. "If he's really trying to be better, I guess I can move past it, just promise me that this is his last chance. If he does anything fucked up, that's it."

Elsa nodded. "All right, I promise."

"Perfect." Anya took the blonde's hand in her own. "It's a deal. Now, tell me about this upcoming trip. Finally gonna see your grandson now that he can actually talk?"

 _Why do I tell her anything?_  Grumbling, she spat back "Nephew! He is not my grandkid."

Belle turned over in her chair, a low murmur escaping her lips.

The two glanced sheepishly at her. "How about we move to the kitchen, break open another bottle of wine, and you can tell me all about it?" Anya offered.

"That sounds like a marvelous idea," Elsa concurred, as they rose and moved to the other room, taking seats at the bar with a nice red. "I think I've already told you everything, except for a new bit I just learned. I received an email while I was waiting for you, the day after I get out there is Anna's courtdate for her divorce."

"Anna told you that? She asking you to go with her?"

Elsa looked down at her wine.  _This doesn't sound weird at all._  "Actually her lawyer told me."

"Her lawyer is breaking privilege to tell you information about her client? What did you do to her?"

"It's Elizabeth," Elsa breathed, inhaling a large swallow of wine.

"Oh." A low whistle emanated from the redhead's lips. "I'm glad you two are talking."

"Yeah."

"That's gonna make for a turbulent vacation," Anya laughed.

"Tell me about it." Elsa relaxed, sipping at her drink. "I'm glad I get to be there for her though, I haven't been there for anything in quite a while."

"No, you really haven't," Anastasia agreed.

Elsa met her eyes, silently pouring her contrition into the blue orbs.

"You've barely talked to her since she went off to college. I know why, but I'd bet my firm that she still doesn't know. You know what she's like! I never met her, but you've certainly told me enough for me to be pretty sure that she's convinced that she did something horrible to you. You have to tell her what happened – why you've disappeared from her life for all these years."

Elsa emptied her glass of wine and watched as crimson fluid refilled the little chalice before taking another sip. "I know I do. But I also know that it will hurt her."

"Not telling her is hurting her more. If you want to move past this then you have to be honest with her. Otherwise she's just going to spend the rest of her life worrying that you're going to abandon her again."

"I didn't abandon her!" Elsa shot back. "She did that."

Anya stared at the floor. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Elsa's grip relaxed on her wine glass before she drained it. "No I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. You're right, I'm sure that's exactly how she feels. I'll tell her, but not until after the divorce, she'll have enough on her mind when I first see her."

Drawing her friend into a hug, Anya whispered, "I'm proud of you."


	14. Anna - Does She Kiss Her Friends?

Anna breathed a sigh of relief as the students filed out of her classroom.  _It's been a long week. I've barely had time to think at all. Or maybe I haven't been giving myself time to think, since I'm too scared of where my thoughts will go. Nani's right, there's no way it could be what I think it is._

A knock on the door frame drew Anna out of her thoughts. "Esmeralda?" She asked, her eyes widening as she found the familiar figure in her classroom.  _We haven't even talked since – since what? She dumped me? She broke my heart? What do I even call it? Nothing like that had ever happened to me before._

"Hey, Anna," she answered, her eyes locked on her feet with her arms wrapped tightly around her belly. "How are you doing?" she inquired, her voice faint.

 _Yeesh, Esme, couldn't you start with an easier question? How am I doing? I just lost two people, but things might be developing with a third, and I'm finally getting close to my sister again, but I think she may be in love with me – or at least she used to be. Is overwhelmed an acceptable answer?_ "I'm all right."

"I'm glad." Esmeralda took a step towards Anna before stopping short, her eyes hesitantly meeting her friend's. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to sort out her words. "I'm sorry."

A tear fled from Anna's eye, unbidden, as she met the younger woman's gaze. "You really hurt me," she admitted.

"I know. I still stand by what I did, I don't think either of us were what the other needed, but I never wanted to hurt you."

 _Gee thanks. You wouldn't change anything about how you broke my heart, you just want me to forgive you anyway._ "I have to go pick up Olaf." Anna grabbed her purse and headed toward the door, walking around Esmeralda.

"All right, I wasn't thinking, I know you have to get going. Could we maybe grab dinner, catch up?"

 _That didn't go so well last time! Why should I? Because she was right and we were both in a terrible place for a relationship? That was a rhetorical question, me!_ Sighing, she turned to her ex-girlfriend and nodded. "Text me the place."  _She always picks out a new amazing restaurant to eat at. I've missed the variety._

* * *

After taking Olaf home and watching one of his shows with him, Anna's phone buzzed in her pocket. Esmeralda had picked a location: a noodle shop around SE 80th. Anna had never heard of it and wasn't incredibly keen on the neighborhood, but since she wasn't taking Olaf, she supposed it would be fine and responded in the affirmative.  _What is she up to? She's not trying to get back together is she? Ugh, Anna, don't even start down that path, you have enough to deal with in that area without trying to get back together with the only person to ever dump you._

"Mama, did you hear me?" Olaf was looking up at her expectantly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, honey, I was distracted. What was it?" Anna forced a smile onto her face; Olaf didn't need to worry about her.

"I asked if you wanted to play co-op with me. You can be Peach!" He grinned, handing her one of the controllers to his Switch.

Her smile became genuine; she hadn't played with him in ages, and it would be a nice break from all the stress. "I would love to."

She took the controller from him, and they proceeded to attempt to save the Mushroom Kingdom from tyrannical rule. Olaf had been stuck on this level for several days and Anna was able to help him get to the end. They made it through several more levels and finished the world. She made sure that Olaf was able to land the final hit on the boss.

She checked her phone before they started the next level. She had less than half an hour to meet Esmeralda for dinner.  _Where did the time go?_ She texted Kristoff to make sure that he was on his way home and to tell him that she was leaving to meet some people for dinner, then checked her makeup in the bathroom mirror and fixed her eyeshadow.

Kristoff had messaged her that he'd be home in about ten minutes. "All right, Olaf," she said, kissing the top of his head. "Mario's in charge until your daddy gets home, it should only be a few minutes. Don't do anything Lilo would do."

He giggled and wiped at his head. "I'll be good, Mama."

Anna gave him a quick hug before grabbing her purse and walking out the door.  _What the hell am I doing?_ Traffic was heavy and she ended up ten minutes late, meeting Esmeralda at the door in her leather biker outfit.  _Why did she have to look all sexy? I thought we were just meeting as friends._

"Hey, sorry I'm late."  _Dammit, Anna, put your tongue back in your mouth._

Esmeralda flashed a grin.  _She definitely noticed that._ "It's okay, I just got here too. Shall we?" She opened the door and gestured for Anna to go first.  _This isn't a date, right?_

They took one of the few seats in the small restaurant section of the store, and Anna marveled at the peculiar shop. "Pretty great, right?" Esmeralda asked with a grin as she set her helmet on the seat next to her.

"It smells wonderful. How do you find out about all these places?" _I need to be able to find them without her._

"Yelp, friends refer them, I just wander around, it really depends. This place I found when I was walking around here."

"Wait, what?"  _She was walking? On 80_ _th_ _? Isn't that where –_

Esmeralda doubled over laughing. "Not like that. Not that I'm against it or anything, just never really felt comfortable doing it myself."

"Oh."  _Well I feel silly. What other absurd ideas am I imagining about people which are definitely wrong? I'm sure there's something..._

"Mind if I order for us? The specialty here is so good."

"Sure, I'll eat whatever."  _Gah, tell me what is going on! Why am I here with you?_

In a matter of minutes, Esmeralda returned with two steaming bowls of noodles. "Careful, it's hot."

"Thanks." Anna studied the food suspiciously as she blew on it.  _It does smell amazing._

"Don't worry about it, it's the least I could do after –" she stopped, not willing to finish that sentence.

"Esmeralda, what's going on?"

She bit her lower lip and gazed into her bowl. "I don't like how we left things. I think you're really cool, and I hate that you're not in my life anymore."

 _I don't know if I want to be in your life anymore._  "I don't know how to feel about any of this. I don't want to get back together."

Esmeralda's head jerked up, staring into Anna's eyes. "You think – Anna, I just want to be friends. I mean, maybe sometime in the future, when we're both in a way better place, and when I'm a lot more capable of commitment (if that ever happens), but otherwise, I don't think that's good for either of us. I mean, if you want to sleep together or something I wouldn't be against it, but I'm not looking for anything more. I've just really missed you."

Sighing, Anna met the younger woman's gaze. "I've missed you too. I just don't know if I'm ready for this."

She nodded. "That's fair. I shouldn't have rushed things. Most people can't move past things the same way I do. Will you let me know when you're ready?"

"Of course." Anna saw Esmeralda glancing away, like she didn't quite believe her. "I promise. I'll tell you when I can handle being friends again."

"All right. I'll leave you alone to enjoy your soup." She started to get up, but Anna's hand caught the sleeve of her jacket.

"Wait. You can stay. Give me some space after this, but it is really nice to see you, we can at least finish this meal."

A smile formed on Esmeralda's face, her eyes crinkling as she sat back down. "So, how've your classes been going?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. My students are terrible. Teenagers are just the worst."

"I keep telling you, gimme the word, and my students will beat them up."

"I know. How're your goats? Do they miss me?"

She giggled. "They haven't been quite the same since they met you. I think they're upset that they never got the chance to eat your hair."

Anna laughed. "Well maybe they'll have the opportunity to try again sometime."

"I think they'd like that." Esmeralda slurped at her noodles, showing a mastery of chopsticks the likes of which Anna could only dream.

They talked until the shop closed and went their separate ways.  _I actually feel a lot better. Maybe I needed that sense of closure. I hope it won't be too long until I'm ready to see her again._

"I just got into town, about to pass out, we still on for today? How about you pick me up for dinner around 7? I'm at the airport Hilton." Anna read the text a second time as she rubbed at her eyes, trying to finish waking up.  _What? Moana's back in town? Wait! Moana's back in town! Today's the day. How did I forget? Wait again – dinner? This still isn't a date right? I mean I have dinner with Giselle all the time, there's nothing weird about this. It just feels weird because of that dinner with Esmeralda the other night. But it's a Sunday, it's not like lunch would've been cut short, so why dinner? Anna, you're overthinking this!_

Before her thoughts could circle around any more, the patter of tiny feet running towards her door drew her attention before it burst open and a small boy and a large dog leapt onto the bed. "Olaf! Sven! What are you doing?" Anna shouted, as the two piled on top of her.

"Good morning, Mama! We missed you. Papa and I just gave Sven a bath, so he said he can go on the furniture now and I wanted to surprise you." He was beaming down at her and Anna couldn't manage to stay annoyed.

She strokes her son's head and scratched behind the ear of the excited mutt. "How about you let me get ready and we can have breakfast?"

"It's almost lunch time, Mama," Olaf responded, giggling.

"Oh." She paused. "Lunch then?"

He grinned ear to ear. "You're gonna go with Papa and me to McDonalds?"

 _Lunch with Kristoff? Am I mature enough for this?_ She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Yes, I am. If that's all right with your father. Give me thirty minutes and I'll be ready."

"Yay!" He and Sven ran off to tell their father.

Twenty-five minutes later, she joined them. "Everyone ready?" She asked, wearing the outfit she'd bought when she first met Moana.  _I'm not being petty, I just figured I might as well get ready for my date – hanging out too._

"Jesus, Anna," Kristoff grumbled, glaring at her. "You really have to flaunt it that much."

"Do you have a problem with my clothes?" Anna met his glare.  _Didn't you just decide you were mature?_

Shaking his head, Kristoff shrugged his shoulders and turned towards the door. "Of course not, let's get going, you can wear whatever you want, not like I have any say in it anymore."

"That's right you don't," Anna found herself saying.  _Not petty at all._

Olaf called shotgun as he ran ahead of them towards Kristoff's SUV. Anna was more than happy to sit in the back. "I'm so excited for the game tomorrow!" Olaf squealed from the passenger seat.

"You didn't tell me you were taking him to a game," Anna insisted, turning towards her ex.

He chuckled lightly. "I'm not, this new indie game from Fa Ping Studios comes out tomorrow, I promised Olaf I'd spend the whole day playing it with him on my computer. It's an old school twin stick shooter, like when we used to play Smash TV at the pizza parlor back home."

"Oh," Anna sighed, annoyed with herself for not knowing this. She always tried to keep up with Olaf's interests.  _I do remember those days. Back when we actually liked spending time with each other._

When they arrived at the restaurant, Olaf ran to the play place while Anna and Kristoff waited in line to place their orders. "I have a meeting with Ms. Swann next week, she looked over all of our papers and she should be getting back to use with a court date soon."

Kristoff muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I just don't see why you need her? Fine, you're leaving me, I get it, you're gay," he glared at the flannel shirt again, "but why can't we just handle this ourselves? I'm not trying to cause you any trouble, I just want what's best for our son."

Anna sighed and looked up at the man she'd spent half her life with. "I know, and I'm sorry, but we have fifteen years worth of assets to divide, I want to make sure we do everything right."

"You mean you want to make sure you get everything," he snapped.

She reached a hesitant arm toward him and settled it on his shoulder. "I'm not trying to hurt you, I just don't trust myself to handle this without her. I think you should hire a lawyer too. I don't hate you and I just want you to be happy, that just can't be with me, I'm sorry that's so painful for you."

He growled and turned towards the counter, it was almost their turn. Anna's hand fell back to her side as she waited silently beside him.

Olaf joined them ten minutes later, to find their meals half eaten, and his happy meal waiting for him in front of an empty seat. He ripped it open and dug out the toy. "Awesome!" he shouted, as he flew the small vehicle around the air in his hand, making 'vroom' sound effects. "It's just the one I wanted.

Both of his parents smiled, their general unease in each other's company vanishing for just a moment, as they admired their child's unbridled joy. Once he finished his fries and McNuggets, they departed a far happier band than they had arrived. Neither had said a word to the other, but the simple act had reminded them that no matter how much issue they took with each other, they both cared about Olaf more than anything else in the world.

Walking into the hotel, Anna found Moana waiting in the lobby. She took the moment before she was noticed to admire the way the white suit clung to her form. Before she had time to start drooling, the object of her admiration turned, and ran over to her, a broad grin gracing her face as she approached, stopping short a couple feet away, hesitating over her next action. She drew her hands from her side, but didn't go any further.  _She's adorable._  Anna giggled and pulled her friend into a hug.

"How've you been?" Anna asked.

"Actually really good, I was just in New Orleans for a day, had some great food." She gestured towards the door, and followed Anna back to her car as they talked.

"Your job must be so interesting."

"It is. I love seeing the world. Plus, I get to control a giant machine as a sail through the clouds. Kinda an awesome feeling."

Anna opened the door for her before climbing into the driver's seat.  _Oh no, my shirt made me butch!_

"That sounds amazing. I wish I still felt so strongly about my job. It used to be wonderful, it was everything I'd dreamed of since I was little."

"What happened?"

"Switched from elementary school to a high school."

"Ah." Moana nodded, as if that explained everything. After a moment she added, "Any idea where you wanted to grab dinner?"

"Actually, yeah, there's a pizza place I used to like back when I was renting a place on the other side of town. I'd love to show it to you if you're in the mood. I mean in the mood for pizza. Not like you're just in the mood. I think I could think of something way better to show you then. Wait, I did not just say that."  _Just. Friends. Get it through your head._

"Now you have me wishing I was in town for more than just tonight. They changed my schedule a bit and I actually have to fly out tomorrow morning."

Anna stared at her for an unreasonably long time before turning her attention back to the road.  _Did she just? I – What?_ "That's a shame," she replied.  _Real smooth, Anna._

"Maybe you can show me that next time." Moana laughed.  _I didn't even know laughs could be sexy._

Slamming on the brakes at a red light, Anna studied the younger woman.  _She's just teasing. Neither of us are ready for that, right? I mean it has been over two weeks. Is that enough time to start being ready for another relationship? I have heard lesbian time is faster, is that what they mean?_

Moana met her eyes, and completely misread the shock. "Fuck, I'm sorry, I swear I'm not drunk. I promised myself I'd keep it in my pants. You're really hot, and I think we could be great together, but I know we agreed on just friends."

"Are you asking me out?"

A pained squeak left Moana's lips as she considered her own actions. "No. I'm not. Not yet. How about next time in town we try a real date? Today I still need it to be just friends. I can't offer anything more yet."

"That's perfect. I don't want to rush into things again. I seem to have a bad track record with that."  _It takes three to make a pattern, I don't have any sort of track record yet!_  "When will you be back?"  _Don't sound desperate._

"I don't have my schedule for that just yet. Should be sometime after Christmas, as I know I'm booked through then. I have your number though, I promise I'll give you advance notice and we can have our," she hesitated so slightly that Anna wasn't even sure it was anything more than her projecting, "date."

"I can't wait," Anna agreed, beaming. "But until then, this is just hanging out. So as of this moment, no more talk of dating, deal?"  _Any more and my heart may actually jump out of my chest. I am so gay for this girl. I did not think I'd get to use that term so soon after learning it online._

After the ordeal of trying to find a parking spot, that required circling the block before finding one caddy corner to their destination, the two placed their order before seating themselves in an alcove next to an upside down table secured to the ceiling with plastic food and table settings on its gravity defying tablecloth. "Classy joint, you always take girls here?" Moana joked.

"Seems a good place to take a friend," Anna chided her.

A blush spread across Moana's cheeks as she gazed back. "Good point. Well it smells amazing. How did you find out about this place?"

"I actually found it when I was looking for some trendy Portland place to take Elsa when she was visiting, wow, five years ago."

"Elsa?" Moana raised an eyebrow. "Ex-girlfriend?"

Anna forced a laugh, her eyes widening.  _Of course not. That would be ridiculous. No way there would ever be a thing between us. She certainly didn't want it and I didn't either. Don't either._ "No, don't be silly, she's my sister, what a weird thing to say."

"Oh, I didn't know you had a sister."

"Yeah, she's amazing. And kinda famous. She's dating Tiana. Not that I know that of course, she never tells me anything, but we hadn't really been talking for a while, we're only recently reconnecting. Sorry, I'm rambling."

"Tiana, as in, Tiana Rose? The chef?"

"Yeah, her! I can't believe I didn't know, she's even actually gone on her TV show and everything. I could've sworn I'd seen every episode, clearly I'm just failing as a reality TV viewer."

"How long have they been together?"

"A few years. I can apparently be very oblivious, I didn't even realize I was gay, so how could I have realized she was? Granted she still could have told me."

"Your sister never even told you she was gay? That's kinda cold of her."

"Anna! Mo – Sausage and mushroom calzone!" A voice called from a window a few feet away.

"I'll get it!" Anna insisted, jumping to her feet.  _Cool it, Anna. You're being weird. What are you thinking going on about her. It makes you sound way too damaged. Especially if she starts thinking I'm in love with her – which I'm not, she's in love with me. No she isn't, stop thinking that!_ Swallowing and brushing some imagined dirt off of her shirt, she found their orders waiting for her. She retrieved her pizza and her not-date's calzone and returned to their table, feeling slightly less like a crazed incestuous person by the time she sat back down.

"They look delicious." Moana pulled the tray toward her, prodding the mound of food to test its temperature.

"Do you have any family?" Anna asked, trying to veer the conversation away from her, but unable to completely change the subject. She grabbed a slice of her pizza and placed it on a plate in front of her.

"Just my parents back home. I haven't seen them in a few months. I don't get to fly to the islands too often, but they always make sure to come see me when I'm in the area."

"Oh, tell me about them."

"My dad's the mayor and my mom's a defense attorney –"

"Oh, Elsa's a lawyer!"  _Shut up!_

"Maybe they'll meet sometime. I'm sure they could go on for ages about some case that would bore both of us to tears."

 _How would that meeting ever happen? Even if we lived together that would seem unlikely._ "That would be cool."

"My dad actually really wanted me to follow in his footsteps. He didn't handle it well when I decided to be a pilot instead. We've patched things up by now and he understands, he just really wanted me to be a politician. He thought maybe I'd be the first Polynesian president or something."

"You do look good in a suit, I think you could do it."  _Score, I didn't say something about Elsa._

"I do rather enjoy the way you ogle me when I wear one." She grinned and took a large bite of her calzone. "Are your parents proud of you for being a teacher? What do they do – or are they retired?"

Anna's face fell. She hadn't had to rehash any of this in a long time, she barely even thought about them anymore. "They never had the chance to. They died when I was fifteen."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

"It's okay. Elsa actually took me in, she went to Stanford so she was already staying local for school, so we sold the house and she got an apartment and had me move in with her. I don't know if she was proud of me when I started teaching, I'd like to think so, but even then we weren't as close as we used to be. Once I moved up here, I think she just really wanted to have her own life."  _Or she was too scared of her feelings to be around me, one of the two._

"I'm sure she was. How could she not be proud of you?"

Anna smiled despite herself. "Thank you. That really means a lot."

Moana chewed on another bite. "This is delicious. Gonna be tough topping this next time."

"Well I'll manage. I'm going to pick the perfect place for our date! You'll be so amazed you'll kiss me on the spot." _I never knew I was so good at managing to make a fool of myself on every front. What happened to not mentioning it!_

"You don't have to try so hard to get me to kiss you. I already have to try not to."

Anna gulped, almost choking on the piece of pizza she hadn't finished chewing. "Would you like to?" she asked, the words coming out of their own volition.

"Friends can kiss, right?"

"Definitely! That's French or something isn't it? It's totally normal most places, we don't have to be all American about it, I was almost born in Norway, I'm practically European."  _Elsa is European, does she kiss her friends?_

Moana rose from her seat. Anna started to fear that she'd done something to upset her when she felt a hand on the back of her head, and lips meeting her own, pulling her breath away. She met the kiss and pulled her friend closer, her hand on the small of her back, feeling her toned flesh.

When Moana finally pulled away, Anna met her eyes and saw fear filling them.  _I'm not that bad of a kisser am I?_  "That was amazing," she admitted, hoping desperately that it was mutual.

"Yeah. It really was, but I don't think that was exactly a friend kiss."

"What? Don't be ridiculous. I kiss all my friends like that. You're a much better kisser than Nani by the way."

Their laughter seemed to somewhat ease Moana's nerves and she sat down again, returning her attention to the calzone, not yet willing to meet Anna's gaze again.

Their conversation fell to trivial matters, neither one willing to approach anything romantic again. The rest of the dinner passed by uneventfully, and Anna and Moana exchanged a brief hug when Anna dropped her off at the hotel. They continued casual conversation through the occasional text, refusing to acknowledge their kiss or the reality of their upcoming date.

The Tuesday after she saw Moana, Anna had her second meeting with her attorney. She knocked on the door, and the receptionist instructed her to take a seat. Anna fiddled with her phone as she sat on the rigid couch next to an untouched pile of magazines. She had new messages from Giselle and Moana and promptly replied to both, informing Moana that she too had enjoyed the episode of a show that aired the previous night, and telling Giselle that she was freaking out that her kiss with her other conversation partner may have come too soon.  _Nani would just tell me that it was a bad idea and neither of us were in a place for it, at least Giselle will listen._

Before she received any replies, the door to Elizabeth's office opens, and a scrawny redheaded boy who looked to be in his early twenties walked out. "Your turn" the receptionist informed herin case she needed further clarification.

Seating herself in the comfortable leather chair she'd occupied when she first met the attorney, Anna asked "Is there any news? I don't know how long these things tend to take. Am I at least going to be single again by next year?"

Elizabeth answered with a warm smile as she withdrew a manila folder from a pile on her cluttered desk and offered it to her client. "That contains your court date, time, and room number. It's normally a massive headache to schedule these around the holidays, we're very lucky that we didn't have to wait a couple months. You two did a great job with the paperwork, I barely had to fix anything and as long as he doesn't try to change anything at the last minute, it should be a pretty painless process."

 _Oh thank god._  Relief washed over Anna as she pulled a paper from the envelope.  _I didn't know what to expect, movies always make it seem like years of hell. I had no idea it would be this easy. I probably would've done it years ago._  Her court date was December 20th, at 1:00 PM, in Courtroom 2E.  _Elsa will be here. I won't have to be alone for this._  "Thank you so much for all your help, is there anything more that I'll need to do?"

"Not really. I already submitted all of your paperwork, so barring a very good reason, there shouldn't be any changes to them. You just need to show up on the court date, wait until it's your turn – which could take a while, confirm that you are who you say you are, show your ID, tell them that there's no chance of reconciliation, and wait until they lead you downstairs to receive your official copies. Since you're changing your name back, you'll want a few certified copies so that you can send them off to the few dozen places you'll have to deal with. List every single place that you'll need to change your name with, and then double it. There's always a few you forget."

"I can't just make copies?"

"Some will let you, but just don't count on it. Trust me, I'm talking from experience." She laughed half-heartedly.

"You've been divorced?! I didn't think we'd even had gay marriage for long enough for gay divorce to be a thing."

The attorney's gaze fell on her desk and her arms folded over her chest. "If you really want to pay me forty bucks an hour to talk about my past I suppose I can, but I don't think this is a great use of your time."

"Oh, I'm sorry."  _Am I supposed to comfort her? What do you do when you make your lawyer cry?_

"It's fine. That was all I had to tell you, why don't you go head home." She rose from her chair, and pointed towards the door.

Anna hesitated, watching the older woman, still unsure if she should help her.  _If she doesn't want me to, I guess there's not a lot I can do._ "All right. You have a good day, Elizabeth. I'll see you in just over three weeks."

She nodded, her arm still firmly planted in the air. "I'll see you then."

 _I hope I didn't ruin everything._ Anna stared at her phone, six days after her and Moana's surprisingly magical kiss, reading through their recent conversations. They'd complained about annoying students and passengers, they'd talked about a couple TV shows, and Moana had talked Anna into reading a book.  _It was a good book at least._

Her phone chimed and she immediately scrolled back down to reply, but Moana hadn't sent her another message. She pulled down the notification to find that she had an email from Elsa.

She composed a quick reply and sent it off. "I can't wait to see you either! I promise I'll pick out the perfect present. My divorce is actually the day after you get here, any chance you'd be willing to join me? I would love to have you there for support. Love you too. See you in a few weeks!"

As Anna was about to exit out of the email application, a line in her sister's email caught her eye.  _The future of our relationship? What kind of relationship does she mean? She said she was kidding, but is she really, I mean what if she's actually talking about us being together?_ Anna slammed her hand into her forehead.  _Get a hold of yourself! What are you even thinking? Why would Elsa possibly want that? She's your sister and she's with this amazing, beautiful, famous, rich person! There's no way she would ever settle for you. Jesus, Anna, get it through your head, you're making it sound like you've fallen for her._


	15. Elsa - Should've Just Had Morning Sex

"Nervous?" Tiana asked Elsa while she stared out the window of their plane, fretting with the hem of her skirt, as they began their final descent to Portland, Oregon.

"A little," Elsa admitted. "It's been five years since I last saw her. I know things seem to be better now, but none of that's been in person."

Tiana squeezed her hand and leaned forward to join her in watching the city fall into view. "It's beautiful. Is that Mt. Saint Helen?"

"Yeah."

"I've never gone skiing before, let's go while we're here."

Elsa turned back to her and smiled.  _I know you're just trying to take my mind off of things, but it's working._ "All right. Just don't be too offended when I leave you in my dust. I used to love skiing as a kid."

"Oh really, you're not even going to help your poor girlfriend learn what she's doing? You're just going to abandon me on top of a mountain?"

Elsa put her hand to her chest and feigned an offended look. "Of course not. I'm going to teach you to ski properly and then I'm going to abandon you half way down a mountain when you can't keep up with me."

"And they say chivalry is dead."

"What I can say? I'm an old-fashioned girl."

Forty-five minutes later, they emerged from baggage claim with their bags, to find a Kia waiting for them at the curb, with Olaf waving his hands out the window at them.  _Wow, he's grown – yes, Elsa, it's been five years, babies do that._

Anna emerged from the car and flung herself at Elsa, wrapping her arms around her and almost knocking her purse out of her hands. Elsa hugged her back, unable to hide the grin spreading across her face.  _I've missed you._

"So you must be the fabled Anna," Tiana said, chuckling lightly to herself. "Well this is Portland, last time I was here I was greeted the exact same way and I'd never met the person. You are Anna, right?"

"Yeah, this is Anna," Elsa answered as her sister only increased the intensity of the hug. "Anna, I promise you can hug me more later, you're starting to cut off oxygen."

Anna let out a gasp and stepped back. "I'm sorry. It's just been so long! I can't believe it's really you." She looked her up and down. "I almost thought I'd never see you again. Olaf, come say hi to your Aunt Elsa." She turned to Elsa's companion. "And oh my God! You're Tiana Rose. It's really you! I can't believe it. Sign my –" she patted her pockets before turning to her car and opening the door for Olaf before searching her glove compartment.

"I'll sign whatever you want once we're in the car," Tiana agreed, dragging her bag over to the back as Olaf watched Elsa from a few feet away.

"Hey, little buddy," Elsa greeted him, squatting down until they were at eye level with each other. "It's been a long time."

"I've never seen you before," he blurted out and took a step back, bumping into his mother.

"Olaf," Anna sighed, "It's okay, this is my sister, Elsa. She hasn't been around since you were a baby, but she's family." She noticed Tiana waiting by the trunk. "I'll help you with that bag, I'm sorry, I got a little carried away."

Olaf slowly brought one foot forward as narrowed his eyes. Once a third step brought him within reach of Elsa he was fully glaring at her. "Why haven't you been around?"

Elsa blinked.  _How the hell do I answer that?_ "That's really complicated, kiddo."  _I have absolutely no idea how to talk to children._ "Your mom and I just weren't talking much. If a hug is too scary how about a handshake? That's how we do things back in New York anyway."

Olaf chewed on his lip as he considered this request.  _Wow, he really does look like Anna_. "Okay," he agreed, and stuck out his hand.

Elsa took it in a practiced shake. "It's nice to meet you, Olaf."

"It's nice to meet you too." He giggled. "You're weird."

"How am I weird?"

"No one ever shakes my hand, they always just want a hug."

 _Maybe I am weird._ "To tell you the truth I'm a lot more used to handshakes. I'm not all that big on hugging."

"I like hugs," he admitted.

"Then why the reticence?"

"What?

 _Right. Children don't know words._ "If you like hugs then why weren't you up for one?"

He hugged her. She tried to maintain her balance from the awkward position and patted his back gently. "Maybe you're not that scary."  _He was scared of me? I don't think I've ever gotten that from someone who wasn't opposing counsel._

"Aww," Anna cooed, standing over them. "I'm glad you two are friends already."

Once everything was in the car, they pulled away from the terminal and Anna began a guided tour of Portland for the non-natives in the car. Tiana sat in the back with Olaf in his booster seat, while Elsa rode shotgun. She noticed Anna glancing at her whenever they were at a red light.  _And here I was worried that she wouldn't be happy to see me._

"I have so many new restaurants to show you," Anna said. "But you must be exhausted, maybe we can order takeout and you can get settled in?"

"Sure, that sounds great," Elsa agreed. "Just let us drop our bags off at our hotel and then we can grab something to eat."

"Hotel?" Anna gasped, turning to her sister, her eyes wide. "You're not staying at my place?"

"Didn't you just have the one guest room? I assumed either you or Kristoff were sleeping in it now."

Anna paused, and turned her attention back to the road. "I actually hadn't thought of where you'd sleep. It just feels wrong to have you come all this way just to stay at a hotel. I want to spend all the time with you that I can. How about I sleep on the couch and you two can take my bed?"

"You can sleep in my room, Mama!" Olaf suggested.

"Thank you, Olaf. Then it's settled, I'll set up the air mattress in his room and you two can take my bed. I won't let my sister and her girlfriend sleep in a hotel when my house is right there. Besides, I need you there in the morning. I know I want this, but it's just so final, and I might need you to hold my hand."

A warm smile tugged at Elsa lips. "All right, we'll cancel the reservations."

"Yes!" Anna shouted, her grin dwarfing Elsa's. "You won't regret it! Any idea what you want for dinner? Pick anything, I know the best places now."

"Well I don't want anything too New York, I'd just be disappointed, what would you suggest?"

"I'd love to try more of the food carts," Tiana added.  _Of course she would._

"Korean-Mexican fusion is really big here," Anna explained. "We can stop by a food cart that serves it, if that works."

Elsa gaped. "Korean-Mexican fusion? Who comes up with this?"

"No it's actually really good. I've had it on a few of my shows."

"Okay, I'll have your weird Frankenfood," Elsa grumbled. "What happened to the good old days of food trucks just having hot dogs and tacos?"

"This is Portland!" Tiana insisted. "It's the food cart capital of the world. Why would you come here and not want to explore everything they have to offer? Can we stop at Voodoo Donuts too? I've heard mixed things, but I never had the opportunity to check it out for myself."

"Of course," Anna agreed. "You shall not want for any of Portland's finest delicacies so long as you are my guests."  _My sister is a goofball._

The four sat around the table with a smorgasbord of offerings before them. Tiana hadn't been satisfied ordering from only one cart in the pod. They had Korean BBQ tacos, a brisket pita, a shredded beef quesadilla, steak fingers, falafel, and chicken and waffles, with a dinosaur grilled cheese and fries for Olaf, and three bacon maple doughnuts, three Portland cremes, and one of Voodoo Donuts 'Cock and Balls' for dessert. The irony was not lost on the trio of lesbians. Anna kept it covered to preserve Olaf's innocence of chocolatey dough genitals.

"There's no way we can eat all of this," Anna protested, as Tiana sampled the various offerings.

"We just have to try everything. I paid. I promise I can afford it."

"All right," Anna sighed, as she nervously took a bite of the falafel. "Huh, this is pretty good."

"You'll get used to it. Not the falafel, you never quite get used to that – I mean every meal being a buffet," Elsa explained.

"I guess it's just the price of eating with the world's greatest chef."

Tiana made contemplative noises as she made a second circuit of the food, ignoring the other two women as she focused on the experience of her pallet.

"I think she likes it," Olaf stated.

Before they'd finished the doughnuts, Elsa found herself yawning.  _How am I so tired? It's only 7. Oh, right, time zones._

"Let me put some clean sheets on my bed, then you two can crash, all right sleepyhead?" Anna offered, rising from her chair.

"You really don't have to give us your bed."

"Elsa, I insist. Besides, it means I get a slumber party with Olaf, how could I not want that?"

"Yeah!" Olaf grinned. "We're gonna tell ghost stories and eat popcorn!"

"No popcorn, you just ate dinner and dessert, Olaf," Anna chided him.

"We can still tell ghost stories though, right?"

"Are you sure you can handle my ghost stories? You might not even be able to sleep then."

"You'll be there, so I know I'll be safe, and I can stay up late, since I don't have school tomorrow, right?"

Anna placed her hands hands on her hips and looked down at her son. "You can stay up until ten, but I have to actually get some sleep, as I have to do something very important in the morning, so no later than that."

Olaf stuck out his lower lip and looked up at her pleadingly.

"No, ten o'clock and that's final."

"But Mama!"

"Keep it up, young man, and I'll make it nine."

Olaf hung his head as he relented. "Fine, ten."

"That's right." She turned to Elsa. "Grab your bags and I'll show you to your room. I doubt you still know where it is."

 _Ouch._ "I'm sorry about that. I know it's been a while." Grabbing their bags, Elsa and Tiana followed Anna up the stairs.

"I didn't mean it like that, Elsa. I know you had your reasons," she said, turning back and meeting Elsa's eyes, her expression unreadable.

"I'm still sorry." Elsa placed an arm on her sister's shoulder, hoping desperately that it would appear comforting. "I shouldn't have been gone for so long."

A frown threatened to conquer the grin that hadn't left Anna's face since Elsa had arrived, but she caught it, and replaced it with a slightly pained smile. "What matters is that you're here now. And when I need you most, too. I don't know how I would've handled tomorrow without you."

"You'd have been fine, Anna. You're strong. You've made it through so much in just the past few months, you don't need me, but I'm happy to be here to help anyway."

This seemed to restore Anna's smile to its former glory, though a hint of sadness still played at her eyes. "This is the room, on the right. Bathroom is down the hall. There's another one downstairs if it's full. Towels are in this closet," she gestured at the middle shelf before grabbing sheets from the top one, "now just give me a moment and your bed will be ready."

"Thank you," Tiana replied. "I know how excited Elsa is to spend more time with you, we really do appreciate you letting us stay here."

"We do," Elsa agreed. "I just feel bad putting you out like this, but it means a lot to me. Thank you."

Anna's face lit up, all traces of sadness or pain swept away. "It's no problem, I'm more than happy to have you here." Elsa opened the door for her as she walked into the room and tore off the old sheets before placing the new ones on the bed. "Now get some sleep, you look exhausted, and I'm gonna need you properly rested so you can hold my hand and keep me from panicking at my divorce tomorrow."

"You don't have to ask me twice." Elsa hugged her tight. "It's so great to see you. Have a good night, sorry I'm so jet-lagged. I promise I'll stay up later tomorrow."

"I can't wait. Sweet dreams, Elsa." She looked to Tiana and blushed. "And sweet dreams to you too, Tiana! I still can't believe it's really you. No one will ever believe that the real Tiana Rose slept in my bed. Not like that! I don't mean that I – I'm gonna go before I put my foot in my mouth any more. Have a good night."

Tiana clutched her stomach as she was almost doubled over with laughter. Anna grew even redder watching her, before she finally rose and wiped a tear from her eye. "You're adorable."

"I am not! I mean – thank you? I... Good night!" Anna fled from the room.

"That was just mean, Tiana." Elsa laughed. "Now she's going to think she can steal you away from me if she ever gets over her crippling star-struck awkwardness."

"What makes you think she couldn't? She is pretty cute." A pillow smacked her in the face.

"That's going too far." Elsa threw herself into the bed, ignoring as the pillow flew back at her head. "Good night, honey."

* * *

Elsa rose before the sun.  _These time zones are killing me._  She threw on the previous day's clothes and went down to the kitchen to make some coffee, only to find Kristoff had already done so and was drinking a mug at the table, wearing a dark blue bathrobe. "Oh," he remarked. "Morning, Elsa. It's been a while. You were already asleep when I got home."

"Good morning, Kristoff." She poured herself a cup and sat across from him, sipping at it while she pondered what she could even say to him. "How're you doing?"

"Not great, Elsa. Getting divorced in a few hours."

She poured more coffee down her throat. "Yeah."  _Should've just had morning sex. Morning sex in my sister's bed is somehow less awkward than this conversation._

"I'm sure you're happy. I know you never exactly approved of us."

Elsa met his eyes, still half-lidded from sleep, but intense with the anger that he was directing at the nearest available target. "I'm happy that Anna found herself and that she's doing what's best for her. I'm not happy that you two are going through this. I'm not going to pretend that I thought you were good enough for my sister, but I know you were good to her. If there was any chance that you weren't, believe me, this conversation would not be so civil."

He sputtered, turning his gaze to the floor. "I just don't know why this has to happen." She heard a sniffle as he wiped at his eyes, but when he looked back to her, they were dry. "I love her."

"I know you do."

"And she loves me too!"

"Not the way you want her to."

"That's not true," he spat, rising from his chair. Elsa tensed as he approached, only to walk past her and to the coffee pot, refilling his mug. "That can't be true."

"She's gay. I don't know what you expected."  _Should I be consoling him? Put a hand on his shoulder or something? Why am I so bad at this?_

"She wasn't when I met her," he sobbed, his voice shaking.

"She was. Even if she didn't know it. It's not something that she could control. As far as I can tell, Anna never really had the chance to explore herself, it's why she seems to be going a little crazy with it of late. She cared immensely for you, hell, you should have heard some of the stuff she said defending you to me when you first got together, but that doesn't mean that the two of you work as a couple."

"Why not?"

"Some people just don't. Don't make this any harder for her than it has to be. Please. If you love her as much as you claim you do, then don't fight her today, just let things end peacefully so you two can still be a healthy family for Olaf, and not spend the rest of your life hating each other. I've seen that happen with too many clients and I don't want it to happen to you two. You're a good man, Kristoff, and you'll always be family. Don't ruin that."

Kristoff stared at her, tears falling from his eyes as he held her gaze. "Do you want some more coffee?" he asked, unable to force anything more out.

"Yeah, I'd love some coffee."  _I said all I needed to._

A few hours later, Anna and Tiana came downstairs to find Kristoff and Elsa watching Perry Mason together. The flirtatious banter between the two women ended abruptly as they landed upon the unusual sight.

"Elsa, you hate Perry Mason," Tiana insisted, cautiously approaching her girlfriend.

"I do not. It just feels too much like work."

"If your job is anything like this, then I'm in the wrong profession," Kristoff said. "When's the last time you planted evidence with the police to cast suspicion away from your client?"

Elsa sipped at her coffee. "I can't divulge that information."

"Wait, have you?"

"Elsa?" Anna asked.

"Relax. It was a joke. I've never done anything unethical or even that questionable as part of my practice. Well, legal ethics, I've done more than a few things that would be unethical by the traditional definition."

"What's the difference?" Anna asked, perching on the couch's armrest by Elsa.

"It might be unethical to help someone get away with murder, but for legal ethics it would actually be unethical to not do so, as he's my client, and everyone is entitled to a defense."

"Oh." Anna sighed.  _She was expecting something more exciting?_

"Are you ready for court?"

Anna looked down at her conservative green dress. "Yeah, are you?"

 _Right, I am still wearing a bathrobe._ "No, let me go do that."

Half an hour later, she returned to the living room in a pencil skirt and a white blouse, to Tiana and Anna watching one of the standard lesbian must-watch shows that Anna had never seen. "Is Nani going to be here soon, the hearings start in just over an hour."

"She texted me while you were getting ready. She should be here in just a couple minutes," Anna replied, pausing the show as she turned to Elsa. "Remind me to thank her for babysitting Olaf so much."

"I'm sure you'll remember, but I'll make sure you do. Which episode is this anyway?"

Before Anna could answer, the doorbell rang. "She's early!" she exclaimed, running to the door and wrapping Nani in an embrace. "Thank you again, for helping out so much."

Nani waved at Elsa over Anna's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. With the divorce and everything you've been going through, it's the least I can do. But don't forget about tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Elsa asked, joining the two in the foyer.

"Anna agreed that since I'm taking Olaf tonight, that when she picks him up in the morning, she'll take Lilo off my hands for the day too. Where is he anyway?"

Anna's eyes went wide. "I forgot to get him ready! He must still be in bed. Let me go get him, it'll be five – ten minutes tops." She dashed off to take care of her child.

Nani smirked. "It's been a while."

Sighing, Elsa nodded. "It has. How've you been?"

"Oh, you know – oh, no, you don't. You never met my kid sister."

"No, I never did. Did she go to school with you two?" Elsa asked, leading Nani inside. _I'm sure she knows the place better than I do._

Nani laughed. "Ha, no, she's 6. She's in kindergarten with Olaf."

"And she's your sister?" Elsa gaped, staring at the younger woman in disbelief.  _You go, Nani's parents, still getting it at that age._

"Yeah. They died when she was a baby, so she's more like my daughter. I guess you know how that is. I didn't think I'd be in here for long. I left her in the car with the A/C running, oh if she tries to drive again, I'm going to kill her. My insurance rate almost doubled after the last time."

Elsa looked back over her shoulder. "You might want to go grab her. If Olaf is anything like his mother, we may be here for a while."

Nani nodded, "Fine, but you have to introduce me to your girlfriend as soon as I get back with her. I would never forgive myself if I passed up the opportunity to meet Tiana Rose!"

Elsa giggled faintly as Nani ran off to fetch the destructive tike, sitting on the couch with Tiana. "Doesn't that get exhausting? I mean I can barely handle people in the office knowing who I am, I think I'd go insane if I had people gawking at me everywhere I go."  _Well, I do have that from being on her arm, and I do go insane from it, so I guess I don't think that – I know that._

"I really don't mind. It's still pretty weird for me, but it's never bothered me. I know it's been five or so years since I became a household name, but I still think of myself as a smalltime chef in New Orleans, it always takes me a moment to realize who they're talking about."

"You're definitely not smalltime."

A small child leaped over the back of the couch, almost hitting both of them, as she settled on the cushion between the two women. "Hi," Lilo announced.

"Hello," Elsa replied, in a startled monotone.

"And who might you be?" Tiana asked, laughter flavoring her voice.

"Lilo!" Nani called, following the speedy six-year old back to the living room.

"Lilo," Lilo answered. "Are you Anna's girlfriend?"

Elsa coughed.

"Oh I wish," Tiana teased, "Always been a sucker for redheads."

"Then who are you?" Lilo asked, fixing her gaze on either woman as she swiveled her head, eyeing them suspiciously. "Are you burglars? Assassins? Have you been waiting to kidnap me and train me in the art of the ninja? I warn you, though I may be small, I am deadly."

Elsa blinked.  _What is this child?_  "Erm, no. I'm her sister, this is my girlfriend Tiana. You've probably heard of her."

"Who?" Lilo cocked her head, studying the world-renowned chef.

 _I like her already._ "Well that's a first."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Rose," Nani offered, trying to drag Lilo from the couch.

Lilo bit her hand and clung firmly to the couch. "They're going to make me a ninja!"

 _Ah, what the hell._  "If you decide to undergo this training, I must caution you, it will be the hardest thing you ever do."

Lilo nodded, returning her gaze to Elsa as she met her eyes, a dead-serious expression on her face. "I'm ready, I can take anything you throw at me. Even ninja stars. Especially ninja stars."

"Well, I'm busy today, but from the sound of it, you're going to be back here tomorrow. Your training shall begin then, young padawan."

"I'm gonna be a Jedi ninja?!" A smile consumed all of Lilo's face.

"Yes, but don't tell anybody." A soft smile echoed Lilo's.  _I'll have to buy them some toy ninja weapons. Anna's been through enough of late, I can babysit for her. It'll be fun._

In her distraction, Nani lifted Lilo off of the couch, holding her tight to her chest as she scrambled and clawed to get away. "This would never happen if I was already a jedi ninja! This is not the Lilo you're looking for!"

Tiana's hearty guffaw drew everyone's attention. "Elsa, I had no idea you were so good with children. Are you going to train ours in the arts of the Force and ninjutsu as well?"

 _Wait what? Ours? We weren't – what?_  Staring blankly at Tiana, Elsa's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, as she desperately searched for words.  _I thought we were both too busy at work! We've never even talked about it! What are you thinking?!_  "Um, sure."  _Dammit, Elsa._

"Hi, Lilo!" Olaf called, as he entered the room, yawning and still wearing his Batman pajamas.

"I'm so sorry," Anna repeated. "I promise, I'll take them all day tomorrow. Thank you again – so much – for looking after him today. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I'm just glad our kids get along as well as we do." She caught Lilo chewing on Olaf's arm. "How many times do I have to tell you, no biting!"

"But I'm a zombie now!"

Elsa loomed over her, the tallest woman Lilo had ever seen now that she was standing. "Zombies can't be Jedi ninjas. I've Force healed you, so you don't need to feed on people anymore. Make sure you're both ready for your training tomorrow and you'll get your ninja outfits and weapons."

Olaf grinned. "I'm gonna be a ninja?"

Lilo shook her head, pitying the uninformed fool. "Ninja are so last year. We're gonna be Jedi ninja!"

"Whoah! Thank you, Aunt Elsa!"

"Oh, right," Lilo looked back up at Elsa, "thank you, Aunt Elsa!"  _I'm not – oh whatever._

"It's no problem."

Anna looked between the three, a perplexed expression on her face.

"Try to pick them up early tomorrow," Nani pleaded. "I'm gonna go get them lunch. It was great meeting you, Elsa. And it's such an honor meeting you, Tiana."  _I didn't introduce them._

"It's nice to meet you too," Tiana agreed, never having caught the woman's name.

Nani dragged Olaf and Lilo out of the house, having to pry them away from their new sensei. "Have a good time at court."

"You're going to have your hands full with that one," Tiana remarked. "So, who was that? I never got a name."

"That was Nani," Anna replied. "She was my roommate my freshman year, we've been friends ever since. And yeah, babysitting Lilo is exhausting."

"I'll do it," Elsa stated.

Anna stared at her. "What? No, Elsa, it's fine. I can take care of it, I've done it before."

"You're getting divorced in less than an hour. Relax tomorrow. Let me handle things."

Anna bit her lip, but nodded instead of protesting the generous offer.

"Let's get going. I was hoping to be there early, we're barely going to be on time."

Anna glanced upstairs. "Should we wait for Kristoff?"

"Only the petitioner actually needs to show, but he'll be there. Let's just make sure you are too." The three piled into Anna's Kia and began the long drive through Portland traffic.

Once arriving at the Multnomah County Courthouse, Anna looked around, overwhelmed by the large building, before Elsa caught up to her, having been consulting the directory. "Courtroom 2E should be on the second floor, over in that direction." She pointed.

Tiana followed behind them as they found their way to the elevator. "Can I really go through this?" Anna asked, looking up at her sister after she'd hit the up button.

Elsa sighed and met her eyes. "Do you still want to be with him?"

Anna swallowed, and turned her gaze to her feet. "No."

"Then you can do this."

"But we've been through everything together! He's been with me for fourteen years, he's so important to me, almost as much as you, and I'm just going to throw that all away? And I know it'll hurt him..."

Elsa found her hands on Anna's shoulders, lightly shaking her. "Anna. This is what you want, if you don't do this, you'll be miserable."

"I just can't lose any more family. Not again."

 _Ow._ "Anna, I promise, you'll have me no matter what, and once he has some time to cool off, Kristoff will still be a huge part of your life. He cares about you and he's the father of your child. You're not losing anyone."  _That wasn't about you, that was about our parents, you idiot._ "Or did you mean mama and papa?"

Anna shook her head. "No. You were right. I don't even think of our parents."  _Ow again._  "But you're right about the rest too, and I haven't lost you, you're right here, right when I needed you, no matter how you feel. I'm here for you too, whatever you need. Just name it. I love you, Elsa."

She held the elevator door open, as it started to close. "Thank you. I love you too, Anna, but today's about you. Now get in the elevator, and let's go find your courtroom."

Elizabeth waved them over to come sit with her on a bench near the back of the room. When Elsa sat next to her, she stiffened and shifted in her seat. "It's been a while," she offered.

"It's good to see you again," Elsa whispered back.

"Do we have to whisper?" Anna whispered in Elsa's ear, her lips an inch away.

"We're not allowed to talk at all, but you can get away with whispering."

Tiana reached her hand across Anna's lap to grab Elsa's, who gripped it tightly and said "I promise, this will be incredibly long and boring, and you will regret coming. You likely won't even be able to hear most of what happens in the cases."

Anna grabbed Elsa's other hand, almost crushing it. "You okay?" Elsa asked.

Her eyes closed, Anna inhaled deeply before letting it out slowly. "I'll be all right."

"It will be okay."She set both hands in Anna's lap, still holding each woman's hand tightly. Anna yelped in surprise, prompting a low giggle from Elsa. "As soon as they call your name, you'll go up there and it'll take maybe five minutes, shouldn't be any trouble. Honestly, the worst part is just the waiting. You have nothing to worry about."

"What do they even need me for?" Elizabeth asked.

"I can't be up there with her."

"She'll be fine. We've already taken care of everything, just be there for her, you were always good for that."  _Now that's just plain untrue._

"– Bjorgman?" they heard the last part of Anna and Kristoff being called. Kristoff rose from a bench near the front.  _I hadn't even noticed him come in._ Anna rose and followed after him, her knees shaking. Elsa still held onto her hand and squeezed it gently.

"You'll be okay. Don't worry."

Anna nodded, letting go of Elsa and continuing on her path, her legs almost stable. Elizabeth patted her shoulder and led her the rest of the way, taking her straight to the judge. Elsa couldn't hear what was said beyond that, but she had enough experience that it wasn't hard to surmise.

_'Are you Anna Bjorgman and Kristoff Bjorgman?' the judge asks._

Anna and Kristoff both hand the judge their IDs.

_'Mrs. Bjorgman, and Mr. Bjorgman, is this marriage_ _beyond reconciliation?'_

_'Yes, it is,' Anna responds._

Kristoff looked to her, his eyes seeming to plead for her to reconsider before turning back to the judge and nodding.

_'Do you have any children?'_

Both nodded again.

_'You're both satisfied with how you've split up your asset_ _s.'_

Anna nodded and turned to Kristoff, who after a moment nodded as well.

_'Mrs. Bjorgman, would you like to return to your maiden nam_ _e.'_

Anna leaned in close to answer the judge.  _'Yes, your honor.' At least I hope she included the last bit._

_'And that would be Agnarrsen?'_

She nodded.

_'All right. Bailiff, here are the papers. Take them down when you're ready.'_

Anna and Kristoff walked back to their seats, with expressions that were diametric opposites of each other. Anna had a satisfied smile, looking exactly like she'd just accomplished something she'd been dying to do. The same smile that she had when she was accepted into Portland State, Elsa mused. Kristoff however looked stricken. His face had paled to almost the same shade as Elsa's, and he was clearly fighting back tears and looked visibly ill. Anna didn't seem to notice as she wrapped her arms around Elsa and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for being here."

"I'm just sorry I couldn't do more," Elsa replied, hugging her sister back. "I'm glad you made it through that."

"You were right, it really wasn't that bad at all."

 _Shame he wouldn't agree with you._ "I'm glad. Need a drink?"

"Yes. That sounds amazing," Anna said, looking up at Elsa as they released each other. "I actually found a lesbian bar online I've been too scared to check out if you wanted to see the scene?"

Elsa laughed. "I haven't been to one in years." Her sister's eyes silently pled, her bottom lip threatening to jut out in a full pout. "But I'd love to take you to your first one. First rounds on me. Hell, first five rounds."

Anna beamed and hugged her again. "Yes! Thank you. Let's go."

"All right, should be fun," Tiana agreed. "I can't even recall the last time I went to one, or a bar in general for that matter. At least one that wasn't part of a restaurant I owned."

Elizabeth waved at them. "You all have fun. I may take you up on that drink offer sometime though, Elsa, but today I have another case to get to. Enjoy your day drinking. Don't forget to wait and actually get your papers."

Anna checked her phone. "It's almost one, it's not that unreasonably early."

"Won't be much of a scene there yet," Elsa replied.

Anna chewed on her lip considering. "Lunch now, those five rounds tonight?"

"Sure, as long as by now you mean after they escort you to the clerk of courts and you get all your certified copies."

"Oh, right, that thing." Anna sat down, crossing her arms. "How long will I have to wait?"

"It shouldn't be long," Elsa said, as she sat down between her sister and her girlfriend.

Twenty minutes later, the trio, Kristoff, and a few other litigants were led downstairs by a bailiff, where they had to wait in line for another ten minutes before Anna could get all of her copies. Once that was finished, they were on their way, by now utterly famished in the way that only doing nothing for hours on end can make you.


	16. Anna - I'm Getting a Lot of Hugs Today

After the divorce was settled, Anna spent the next several hours showing her guests around Portland – and in doing so, finding several locations she had never taken the time to explore herself. They grabbed sushi, along with a tempura plate, at a small Japanese restaurant near the Park blocks. Tiana was unimpressed with the food, but the other two women loved it, their palates substantially less complicated. At Anna's mentioning of it, Elsa demanded that they all go to the art museum.  _How could I say no to her?_

Elsa seemed enamored by some of the artwork. Anna greatly appreciated the realist paintings, and some of the historical pieces, but Elsa seemed to even enjoy the modern abstract works that made no sense to the younger woman. Elsa went on for a while, explaining the interesting brushwork of this piece or that, and how it offered such a deep insight into the mind of the artist.  _Am I just too dumb, or is she really overthinking it?_ "Where did you learn all of this?" Anna asked.  _I mean, someone has to tell you that, right?_

"I had to take a class that focused heavily on art history my freshman year at Stanford. I have to admit, I found it mind-numbingly boring, but it kind of stuck with me, and I took another art course my senior year as an elective, and it really resonated with me. Now, obviously it's nothing I'd want to pursue, the law has always been my first love –" both Tiana and Anna glared at her at this, though Elsa was too enamored in her lecture to notice, "but it's just fascinating. Plus New York has a lot of great art museums. Anya took me to one on a date once and it really reminded me of why it meant so much to me back in college, so I try to at least take a look whenever the opportunity presents itself. Thank you, by the way, Anna. It had completely slipped my mind to check for one in Portland. It's wonderful."

 _Maybe this isn't that boring after all._ "Wait, who's Anya?"

Elsa's eyes turned away from the artwork for the first time since they'd entered the museum, settling on the floor. "I keep forgetting that you still know so little about my life," she said, her voice heavy with regret. "I'm sorry I pushed you away for so long."

"It's okay."  _Now that I think I understand why, how could I possibly hold it against you? You were just trying to protect me from you. You don't need to be scared Elsa._ "I'm here now, why don't you tell me about her? At least she has an awesome name."

"Anastasia? It's a fairly interesting name, I guess. Especially for a Romanov, though she insists there's no relation there." Elsa glanced back towards the century old Russian paintings that had been the first example of comprehensible artwork Anna had seen since they entered the place.  _Does she really not get the joke? It's practically my name, hell her full name is even closer. Is that why Elsa liked her? I wonder if she looks like me too?_  "She's my best friend. I've known her since law school. We were the same year, and even lived together for most of our time there, and were still dating when we both started at Gaston, Philip, and de Ville. She runs her own law firm now, and until recently there was some bad blood over that. If you ever come visit you'll have to meet her. Maybe even her girlfriend too – I suppose she is growing on me," she explained, adding"like mold" under her breath.

"Wow," Anna sighed. "So you've known her for ten years and never mentioned her to me?"  _She hid so much of herself! Is it really all just because of her feelings for me? I don't even know why I'm so convinced they're real, but why else would she hide that she's gay from me for so long, other than to prevent any such possibility with me?_

"Yeah." Elsa let out a low breath, before turning her gaze back to the abstract art before them. "I'm sorry."

 _No, she's come all this way, she's been here for me, I'm not going to lash out at her for this._  She wrapped her arms around Elsa, hugging her from behind. "You've apologized enough. I know that you were dealing with your own stuff. I understand. You're here now and that's what matters."

Elsa leaned back against her, her hands resting on Anna's. "How about we just check out the rest of this museum, then I'll go buy those rounds I owe you." Her voice sounded brighter than it had a moment ago, but Anna felt like it was still touched by something in the neighborhood of guilt.

"All right. Continue with your lecture, professor."  _That sounds a lot less ironic coming from a teacher, doesn't it?_

Elsa led them on a tour through the rest of the museum. On the second floor, they found several more pieces of art that were far more to Anna's taste than the works on the first floor had been. There was even an interesting piece of Joan of Arc that reminded her of the print their mother had had in the upstairs hallway. "Wow." Anna's breath caught as she stared at the piece. "I haven't thought of that in so long. I can't even recall the last time I thought of home at all."

Elsa followed her eyes and started when she saw the painting. "Oh," she breathed. "It looks so similar. I don't think it's the same artist, but just wow. Do you know if we still have it? I don't even remember what we did with most of their stuff. I hope we didn't sell it with the house."

Anna shook her head. "I have no idea. I haven't seen it. Maybe it's in the attic somewhere. I know I still have a lot of their old stuff up there. I just never really took the time to go through it."

"We should. How about tomorrow? Wait – I'm babysitting then – the day after? Just you and me. We'll look through all of the old stuff and reminisce about the good old days."

"The good old days?" Anna stared at Elsa. "I miss growing up with you, but it's not like our parents were really around much more before they died." _It was you that it hurt to lose. You were the one that always looked after me, not them._

"Don't say that," Elsa said, her eyes tearing up as they met Anna's. "They were busy with work a lot, but they always tried to do their best for us. They loved us, and they spoiled us rotten to try to make up for their absence. I would have certainly loved it if they'd been home more, but are you really going to say that you don't devote yourself to work like they did? I've worked seventy hour weeks for the last seven years, and I've loved it. They were the same way. They moved to the US so they could pursue their dreams and give us a better life, and I couldn't begrudge them for that if I tried."

Tiana backed away, giving the two sisters their space.

"I don't do that. I pick up Olaf every day by 3:30. I devote so much time to him."  _Right, which is why he's at Nani's right now, and you've been running out almost every day of late to avoid being around Kristoff. You sure do devote your time to your son._ "I'm not like our parents."

"Anna." Elsa took a step towards her, her hand hesitantly reaching out until it rested on Anna's cheek. "Our parents loved you. I'm sure they wished they had more time to spend with us, but they did the best they could." Her lips curved into a pained smile. "Though I guess I'll admit, not making time for each other may run in the family."

Blinking back tears, Anna nodded.  _They abandoned me, and then you did too. No matter how good your excuses were._ "It still hurt."

"I know." Elsa pulled her into a hug and the dam broke as tears ran freely onto Elsa's shoulder.

"Promise me you won't disappear again."

Her voice sounding startled and more than a little hurt, Elsa said "I promise."

 _I need to confront her on why she left. I need to let her know that I understand – that she doesn't have to be afraid._ She continued to sob, unmoving, comforting herself with her sister's presence. "I love you, Elsa."  _But in what way?_

"I love you too, Anna." Elsa kissed her forehead and slowly released her. "How about we go clean ourselves up and check out the last few pieces, then we can go grab that drink?"

"'Those drinks' you mean," Anna retorted, her good mood gradually returning.  _I am a free woman after all. Free to do whatever – or whomever – I want. Free to date Moana or – anyone. What do I have to be sad about? It's just some silly childhood stuff that I should be over by now. For God's sake Anna, you're thirty._

The newly restored Agnarrsen sisters wiped their tears and washed their faces and then examined the rest of the art. Elsa seemed enchanted by it, and Anna was spellbound by Elsa's enchantment. Elsa's eyes lit up as she described the last piece, and Anna was sad to leave the museum and lose the new light it had given her sister. She did however, really want those drinks.

Tiana and Anna threw themselves into a corner booth at a bar not far from the museum, while Elsa fetched them drinks. "So, I have to know, how did you two meet?" Anna asked. "She's never told me anything."

"That's kind of a funny story, actually." Tiana leaned back in her seat, her eyes scanning the dimly lit room. "It was about five years ago."

"And you got together then?" Anna asked, drawing Tiana's eyes back to hers.

"No, not for a while." Tiana smiled, her index finger absentmindedly tapping on her other hand. "Do you want the how we got together story or the how we met story?"

"Both, please." Anna grinned.  _Finally I get to actually learn something about Elsa. Even now she's all closed off to me. I just want to be part of her life._

"All right, well the meeting was nothing all that exciting, and Elsa would probably tell it better herself, but I'll do the best I can. It was back when I was pretty newly famous. I'd just managed to start my third restaurant and had a guest spot on a cooking show that went pretty well. I was doing some absurdly expensive catering, mostly celebrity parties and the like, to keep getting my name out there, and Mr. Philip, from Elsa's law firm, contacted me. Well, that is it to say his secretary contacted me of course – from what Elsa's said I doubt he can even use a phone himself. When I was mingling a bit, this tall, skinny blonde, in an almost tackily lowcut red dress caught my eye. If I'm being honest, I was smitten right then. She managed to look classy and refined even while spilling out of that thing. She seemed to be avoiding everyone else. I know the story there, but to be frank you'll have to get it from her, I know she's not big on opening up about that stuff."  _Don't I know it._  "She was alone in a corner, eating one of my beignets over a napkin and trying not to cover herself in powdered sugar. It would've been adorable if she didn't look so lonely."

"And what, you bought her a drink?"

Tiana flushed as a light snicker escaped her lips. "Yeah, actually. It was an open bar, and I was catering, so I suppose the firm bought it for her, but I grabbed two glasses of champagne and walked over to her. We talked almost that entire night. I think we bonded over our mutual ambitions more than anything. We had both come so far, but neither of us were satisfied. We wanted the world, and all we had were large slices of it."

"What's this about us conquering the world?" Elsa asked, as she sat next to Tiana and placed the three cocktails on the table before resting her hand on Tiana's thigh. "I can't believe you're spilling our evil plots. Anna, will you keep it a secret if we buy you off with Australia?"

Anna giggled, blushing a deep scarlet.  _Get a hold of yourself! That wasn't even flirting._ "Only if you include New Zealand."

"You drive a hard bargain," Elsa replied. "But it's a deal. Okay, really, what were you talking about? All I heard was the last sentence."

"How we met," Tiana answered.

"Oh, you mean when I was desperately trying to avoid Anastasia after she'd just dumped me the day before and you took my mind off of it by going on about how you wanted to be a world famous chef? That was fun."

"That would be the time, yes. Now would you like to explain how you ended up asking me out?" Tiana asked, her eyes twinkling mischievously as she smirked at her girlfriend.

"Oh, is that how it happened?" Elsa retorted. "And here I was thinking you practically begged me to date you."

"Oh, did I now?" Their playful glares were only diminished by their proximity causing their noses to almost touch.

"You did. We'd known each other for a couple years at that point, and we talked occasionally, and you said that you felt like things could get serious with us."

"And I then stated that I thought that was a bad idea because I was barely ever even in the city, and couldn't offer you anything stable. When did my begging come in?"

"Oh, I must have misunderstood what you meant, because of where your hand was when you said it. Easy mistake."

"Elsa!" Tiana laughed as she playfully smacked her shoulder. "Are you really gonna say that in front of your sister? You'll ruin my chances with her." She stuck her tongue out at her partner, taunting her.

"Well far be it from me to keep you from consummating your undying desire for my little sister."

"You know I have a weakness for redheads. Not that you're one to talk there," Tiana replied.  _Wait, what?_  "And Anna is just so cute."  _Why does Tiana keep flirting with me? I am interpreting that right, right? I mean she's not just being nice. Did Elsa put her up to this? Is she trying to make me feel better? Wait - are they poly? Does Elsa want me to be part of their couple? Well I guess it wouldn't be a couple. A triple? No, that sounds dumb. A three - a threesome! Wait, that's a different thing. I don't think they want me for a threesome - do they?_

Both sets of eyes were on Anna. She blinked.  _Crap, I wasn't listening. What did they say?_  "Um, yes?" she offered hesitantly.  _Did I just agree to sleep with Tiana?_

"Ha," Tiana spat victoriously. "Even Anna agrees, you're the one that asked me out. I just said how things were, you're the one that insisted we should do something about it."

"In what world is telling someone that you have feelings for them not asking them out? Anna, you're really siding with her?" Elsa pouted teasingly, her lower lip protruding slightly, before her mouth split open in a hearty laugh. "Christ, Anna, the expression on your face. It's fine, we're just ribbing you. Drink your rum runner. I'm gonna go grab us another round. Same thing?" She looked from Anna to Tiana, confirming their drink orders.

Once Elsa was off to fetch a white Russian, black Russian, and a screwdriver, Tiana reached across the table to rest her hand lightly on top of Anna's. "Are you sure you're all right, hun?" she asked. "You look like something's bothering you. I hope it's not my flirting, I can tone it down, I'm not after anything I swear. Normally I'd excuse it as just being Southern, but I do actually have a thing for redheads."

Anna's complexion matched her hair.  _So is she actually serious then? Are they really trying for a threesome?_ She coughed before chugging her drink to buy time to reply. She set it down with a large sigh and managed "it's fine" in a high pitched squeak. "I don't mind. Flirting is fun."  _And it has definitely never landed me in a fifteen year marriage with a man I never even realized I wasn't attracted to._  "There's just a lot on my mind. I'm glad it's finally done, but the divorce still left me with some complicated emotions."

"Well let's get some more alcohol in you to kill those feelings," Tiana offered. "From what I've seen, it is the Agnarrsen way."

"It's nice to be one again."

Tiana blinked. "It's nice to be what?"

"An Agnarrsen. I hated having to be called my married name for ages, way before I even realized I wanted to leave him. It just feels good to have my old name back."

Tiana squeezed Anna's hand gently. "There's a lot of meaning in a name. I think even if Elsa ever was up for marrying me, I'd still want to keep my name. Though I suppose that doesn't necessarily say much, it's part of my brand, I can't exactly drop it. I think Tiana Agnarrsen would get a lot less business than Tiana Rose."

"You two are thinking about getting married?" Anna asked, barely managing to keep the surprise out of her voice.  _See, Anna? She's gonna spend her life with Tiana, she's not trying to end up with you._

Tiana stared into her drink, swirling the straw of the Long Island iced tea. "I want it. She's never really seemed up for talking about it. I know she's not a big believer in marriage, and I'm fine with just being girlfriends, but I didn't realize she was as against it as she seems to be."

"Who's against marriage?" This time Anna couldn't keep the shock out of her tone.  _Like with anyone?_ "All I ever wanted was to get married!"

"And how'd that work out for you?" Tiana replied, her voice surprisingly cold. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Well, maybe I did, but it was still mean. I'm sorry, it's just kind of a sore topic. I think that's a big part of why Elsa doesn't believe in it though. She's worked too many divorces to respect the institution."

Anna swallowed, nodding slowly. "No, you're right. She's right. Marriage wasn't what I thought it would be. I just always saw it as a happily ever after. Maybe I watched too many Disney movies and rom coms growing up. I know it's not like that in the real world – or at least I should."

Tiana went around the table to Anna's side, pulling her into a hug.  _I'm getting a lot of hugs today._  "It's okay. I think most women feel like that. It was never a big priority for me, that was always work, but I still assumed it was part of my end goal."

Glasses clinked on the table as Elsa sat them down. "Wow, I'm gone for five minutes and you already made a move on my sister."

"It's not like that!" Anna squeaked, her eyes wide as she looked up at her older sister, her hands held in the air, demonstrating that they were clearly not touching Tiana.  _Wait, who's she jealous of?_

Elsa laughed as she sat down across from them. "Relax, Anna. I was just kidding."

"Oh. I didn't really know you did that."  _Wow, I really don't know Elsa at all. She always seemed so serious to me."_

"It's not like it's something I do that much. Just with people I'm really comfortable with."  _Ouch._ She pinched the bridge of her nose and scrunched her eyes. "Shit, Anna. I am comfortable with you, it's why I'm joking with you now, it's just been a while. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Anna said, Tiana still hugging her. "I know what you meant."

"Shh, you two, you're ruining the moment," Tiana remarked.

 _What do I do?!_  Before Anna had a chance to make that decision, another glass clinked on the table. "Hey there," a voice said. Anna couldn't quite make out the speaker past Tiana's head. She craned her neck in an attempt to gain a better vantage. Short black hair being brushed away from a green eye and a pale cheek was all that that she could manage to find without pushing Tiana off of her. "You looked so lonely being the third wheel, so I figured I'd take the opportunity to buy this drink," the voice continued, seeming to lose confidence with each word as Elsa stared back at her.

Before the girl had the chance to lose the last of her courage, Elsa gained a wicked smile and grabbed her hand. "Thank you for saving me from that. These two have been incorrigible all night. I'm Elsa," she brought the hand to her lips, causing Tiana to finally stir from her over-long hug.

"I'm Cassandra," the woman offered, her cheeks coloring as Elsa's eyes lingered on hers.

"Now wait just a minute!" Tiana exclaimed, placing her hand possessively on Elsa.

"You've moved on," Elsa chided, "it's only fair that we do the same."

"Oh, is this your ex?" Cassandra asked.

 _What is even going on?_ Tiana glared at the interloper. "I am not her ex! I'm her girlfriend."

"Then why are you all over that other girl instead of giving her the attention she deserves?" Cassandra asked, eyeing Elsa lasciviously.

Tiana rose from her seat and pulled Elsa to her chest, holding her. "I was just trying to get her sister all flustered."  _Is that all that was? Really?_

"Really?" Cassandra sneered. "Going that far with your girlfriend's sister just to mess with her? That's beyond creepy, verging on incest. Elsa, you sure you're okay with her? I'll leave you alone if you're taken, but that doesn't sound that healthy."

Elsa smirked.  _So she was just jealous that Tiana wasn't paying attention to her? It wasn't about me?_ "I appreciate the offer, haven't had one in a while, but I'm sure. I'm pretty head over heels for this girl, even if she gets a little carried away when she finds out she can make someone blush."

Anna's face heated at the reminder.  _She really was just messing with me._  "Thanks for the rescue, though. I'm not sure what I would've done if she kept going."

"Well at least I got to save one damsel in distress." She sighed. "You crazy people have a good night. Try not to have a threesome with your sister, Blondie."  _Is that an option?_

"What?" Elsa stared after Cassandra as she walked back to her table. "Okay, Tiana, you need to tone it down some if we're getting that kind of response. That's just creepy."  _Oh, so sleeping with me would be creepy, huh? I'll have you know Esmeralda said I was good in bed!_

"Right," Anna agreed. "That would just be weird."

Tiana looked between the sisters.  _Was she actually considering it? Maybe I shouldn't have dismissed it so quickly._ "Was I really coming on that strong? I mean, Anna is ridiculously cute, but it's just so fun having someone get that flustered. You never get flustered, Elsa."

Elsa's teeth showed. "Maybe we'll see how flustered I can get you later."

"I'd rather get you flustered. Far more fun to see you squirm."

"How about I go get another round," Anna offered. _I've heard more than enough._

"We've barely touched this round, but I said I'm buying. How about I just get us three rounds of shots? Then we can get out of here before that girl tries to cause another scene." Elsa left for the bar, leaving Tiana and Anna alone again.

Tiana met Anna's gaze, who promptly tried to avoid it. "I'm sorry. I got a little carried away. Elsa brings out the jokester in me, and I wasn't thinking how I may be making you feel. You look so uncomfortable; I wasn't paying any attention. Please forgive me?" She reached out hesitantly before drawing her hands back.

Anna nodded and returned her gaze. "It's okay. I was definitely a bit weirded out."  _And maybe a bit turned on._ "But I just really wasn't sure what you were trying for. For a second there I actually thought you might have been doing what that woman just said – I mean the threesome part, not like dating me."  _Wait, that's worse. I did not just say that!_

Tiana's mouth dropped open. "Oh, wow, I was coming on way stronger than I thought I was. You just have such cute reactions. I think you even squeaked earlier!"

Fixing her with an indignant expression, Anna replied "I did not!"

"Whatever you say. Either way, I'm sorry. I wanted to make a good impression with you and instead I did this."

"It's okay." Anna insisted, patting Tiana's hand across the table. "I can't say I minded the attention. I mean how could I not flirt with THE Tiana Rose. I was just really confused by it."

"Well I should have been more clear with my intentions at the very least." She gave Anna's hand a quick squeeze before grabbing her drink. "I'm definitely not trying to cheat on Elsa with her sister. Sorry to disappoint."

 _Well I guess I don't get to cross 'having sex with a celebrity' off my bucket list._ "I think I'll live." She raised her glass to Tiana's and they both drained their drinks.

"Well this is a far more normal scene to return to," Elsa announced, setting a tray of nine shots before them. "Drink up."

They threw back the shots and ordered a final round before they left. Elsa called for a ride, as none of them were in any condition to drive, and before long they found themselves back at Anna's house, relieved that Nani had Olaf until the morning.

As soon as they walked through the door, Anna put a pot of coffee on. "It's still way too early to go to sleep."

"Maybe for you," Tiana replied. "I'm exhausted. I'm gonna get some sleep. You coming, Elsa?"

Elsa shook her head. "Nah, you go on. I'm going to try to stay awake and talk to my sister some. I did come all the way out here to spend time with her after all."

"All right, have a good night. I'll be waiting." She pulled Elsa into a sloppy kiss before blowing another to Anna. "I'd kiss you too, but I promised I'd behave myself."

"Maybe next time," Anna replied. She poured Elsa and herself two large cups of coffee, piled high with sugar. "Oh, sorry, I forgot to ask, do you still take it like this?"

Elsa sat at the kitchen table and stared at her cup. "I haven't in a while, but right now that sounds amazing." She blew on it and took a careful sip. "Yeah, this is better."

"I'm glad." Anna sat across from her, beaming, and followed her lead. "I always love coffee when I've been drinking."

"I do too. Tiana insists on just drinking water when you're drunk. It's certainly reasonable, you have to keep hydrated, but coffee after a night out drinking is great."

"At least we stopped at six drinks?" Anna offered. "Shouldn't be that bad."

"Say that when you're my age."

"You're not that much older than me!"

"Three and a half years is plenty older."

"Sure, throw the half in there to make it sound like more! Elsa, I'm thirty, I'm not some kid anymore – no matter how I've been acting lately, God I've been going so overboard with this whole self-discovery thing – I'm gonna be just as hungover as you in the morning."  _If not more. I am such a lightweight. I almost tripped three times just walking to this chair._

Elsa propped her feet on the chair closest to her. "I can promise, I'm going to be feeling worse. I'm 34 tomorrow. It makes a difference."

"Do you mind if I give you your present a few hours early? I just want to give it to you before we go to bed, and now seems like a good time."

"Do you think you can make it to wherever you're keeping it?"

"I'm fine! The coffee helped sober me up." Anna rose to her feet and puffed out her chest.

"You know that's a myth, right?"

Anna stomped off, bumped into a wall, righted herself and continued on her way, climbing up the stairs to the closet where Elsa's present waited. Her footing more stable, she dashed back down the stairs with the box in her hands.

Elsa watched as Anna slammed the box onto the table and turned what should have been a trip into sitting in the chair, before her eyes fell on the box covered in glittering blue wrapping paper.  _I should've just bought her some earrings, this is gonna seem weird._  "Open it?" Anna suggested, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Focused on the box, Elsa slowly brought her hands to it, trying to open her gift without damaging the beautiful paper. The whisper of Elsa's hands gliding over the paper was the only sound in the room as it slowly unfolded, until a leather binder sat in a neat rectangle of white. "What is it?" Elsa asked.

"It's a scrapbook, of all the years you missed, so you can still see Olaf's first steps, his first day of school, even my first time wearing flannel." Anna laughed nervously. "I'd been saving pictures for you all these years. I thought when you were finally back you'd want to see them. Sorry, it's dumb, you could've just looked on Facebook or something if you really wanted to."  _Not to mention it sounds super passive aggressive, 'the years you missed', what were you thinking?_

"I love it!" Elsa insisted, tears threatening to spill at the corner of her eyes. "Anna, it's wonderful. Thank you." She slowly turned through the pages, taking in each picture. "Oh, wow. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for all of this. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Your work and your life were more important," Anna replied, tears of her own already falling. "You didn't have time for your kid sister anymore, raising me was already too much for you, it makes sense that you wouldn't want to be around me any more." _That makes so much more sense than her being in love with me._

"Oh, Anna, no, it wasn't that. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fuck, I'm the worst sister ever, I'm so sorry I let you feel that way." She threw her head back, staring at the ceiling as she chewed on her words, the scrapbook abandoned on the table. "You deserve to know the truth, but I'm so scared it'll just make you feel worse. I know you've been beating yourself up over this, probably for years, and I can't let you keep doing that, but you have to at least understand that I'm over it, it doesn't matter any more, I'm here now, please don't let this change anything."

_She really was in love with me? She's gonna admit it?! Wait, she's over it? Like she's moved past the feelings and can ignore them to spend time with me now or the feelings are gone? What if I return them, then would they come back?_

Elsa let out a long breath before looking into Anna's panicked eyes. "I promise I don't hate you."

"I know you don't," Anna managed to reply, surfacing from her thoughts. "I think I understand what happened, I'm sorry it was so difficult for you, you don't have to be alone anymore though, you have me here, and I'm not going anywhere."  _Wow, just go ahead and say you're falling for her before she even gets a word out._

"You already know? Of course you do, it's not like I was that subtle." Elsa walked over and took a seat on the table, her hand resting on Anna's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know I was being childish. I know you didn't abandon me, that you were just trying to live your own life, but it just hurt so much. I'd stayed in California to be with you. I'd always planned on just going to Harvard, but then our parents died, and I had to look after you, and Stanford's just about as good, so it wasn't any real issue, and I thought that you'd feel the same way."  _What is she talking about? I abandoned her?_ "I thought you'd want to stay with me, at least until you finished school. It was silly. I just wasn't ready to lose you, and then out of nowhere you told me you were moving to Portland. I know I didn't take it well, I barely spoke to you, I ran off to Harvard and to New York. I tried to be better time and again, but every time the resentment bubbled back up, and I couldn't get past it. I'd start being mean to you, and grumpy all the time, until I just stopped talking to you. It happened every time I tried to be better. I'm so sorry, Anna, I left you with no family for all those years, after you'd already lost our parents, just because I was too stupid to get over you wanting to go your own way."

Anna tried to force her jaw closed, to respond, to blink, to do anything but stare at her sister.  _That's what it was? She resented me? Nani was right. She wasn't in love with me, I was just projecting. God, I'm so stupid!_

Elsa withdrew her hand. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything. I'll leave you alone. I'm sorry. Should Tiana and I go to that hotel?" She turned away from Anna, sobbing softly.

Anna found her hand on Elsa, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I didn't abandon you, Elsa! I'm so sorry I let you think that. You're not a terrible sister, I am. You don't even want to know what I've been thinking – fucking hell what is wrong with me? Elsa, I didn't move to Portland to start my own life, I just wanted you to be able to – to start your own life, I mean. You'd given up so much for me, and I didn't want you to have to keep making sacrifices. I thought you must be sick of me by then, you didn't want to be a mother, you were just 21 and I'd never even seen you have a boy over – of course I understand that one now – I wanted you to be able to live without me dragging you down. Why didn't you ever say anything? I would've stayed!"

Elsa buried her face in Anna's shoulder, her tears staining the shirt. "I'm so sorry."

"No I am!" She stroked Elsa's back and leaned into her, her tears falling freely. "I can't believe we let this happen. All these years without each other because we were both too stupid to talk – not that you're stupid! You're brilliant."

"I'm definitely stupid. I should've asked you stay. I should've said anything. None of this had to happen if I wasn't so damn stubborn and proud. I'm the worst."

"You're the best, Elsa. I love you."  _You have no idea how much._

"I love you too."

It took all of Anna's strength not to kiss her sister then and there. They only held each other until their tears ran dry, neither saying another word. They'd finally said all they needed to say.


	17. Elsa - Sounds Almost Romantic

Elsa woke up to find Anna snoring against her shoulder. She blinked away sleep to find that they were cuddled up on the couch with the last embers of a fire smoldering out in the fireplace. She considered reigniting the flames, but she didn't want to risk disturbing her sister. Instead, she pulled a blanket around them and pulled her closer for warmth. Anna replied with a sleepy murmur and a low snore.

Elsa could barely hold back the laughter.  _And here I was thinking she'd finally grown out of snoring._  She planted a kiss on her forehead as a smile pulled at her lips.  _It's nice to be here with her. No secrets anymore. Just enjoying a Christmas – birthday – with my little sister. It's been so long. No resentment, no forcing myself to be a mother to a girl who clearly didn't want one; just this – cuddling under a blanket in front of a dying fire on a cold winter morning. Sounds almost romantic._  She couldn't manage to fight back the chuckle this time.

Anna stopped snoring. Elsa's eyes widened as she looked down at her shoulder.  _Please say I didn't wake her with that. It wasn't even that funny – more creepy than anything else._

The snoring began again.  _Well that's a relief._  She felt around them to see if her phone had made it to the couch with them. Tragically, it had not. She was just going to have to sit there, twiddling her thumbs, until her sister woke up on her own. As she began to accept her predicament, she finally found something – the scrapbook that Anna had given her. It was on the floor at her feet. They had fallen asleep drinking eggnog and going through it.

With a concentrated effort from her feet and her free hand, she managed to retrieve the book and drag it onto her lap. She flipped open to the last page she remembered and found her little sister, beaming back at the camera with a crawling Olaf before her. A tear traced a path down Elsa's cheeks as her smile puffed them out.

Crossing over that image was one containing Anna and Kristoff, baby Olaf perched half on either lap, his eyes off to the side of the camera. A note scribbled nearby clarified that it was their first family photo.  _Looks like one of those cheesy little photo studios in a department store._ The cynicism didn't prevent another tear from leaking out.  _I've missed so much and for such a petty reason._ "I'm sorry," she whispered into the pool of red hair resting against her cheek.  _I won't miss any more. I'll be here for you and Olaf. I won't push you away again._

Olaf, wearing a cowboy hat and vest, rode Sven, backlit by a sunset. It was the only picture on this page where he wasn't a baby.  _Did she put it in the wrong section?_ She flipped through a few more pages, glancing at the pictures as she went – passing a picture of Anna standing in front of a closed down school, Kristoff holding Olaf in their lap in the seats of what looked like a baseball stadium, and Olaf and Lilo staring blankly at each other in some elaborate looking pin – and found a section that seemed to be around the same age as that picture. He was probably three or four, and there were pictures of him in a tiny suit, in a plastic sword fight with Lilo, and pantomiming shaving next to his father. There didn't seem to be a missing spot for that photo.  _I'm not quite sure what I was expecting._

"Mmm," a contented sigh sounded from her side, as Anna nuzzled against her shoulder. "This is wonderful."

"Yeah it is," Elsa agreed, setting the scrapbook to the side. "Good morning, sleepy head."

"I'm not dreaming." Anna blinked, looking up at her, her eyes wide.  _I suppose I deserve that._

"You're not dreaming. I promised, I'm not going anywhere."

"Right. I know. I didn't mean – Why are we in the living room?"

"Wow, you are a lightweight." Elsa chuckled, grinning down at her bewildered little sister as she grew increasingly annoyed.

"I didn't even have that much!" she insisted, her cheeks growing red.

"That's what makes you a lightweight." Elsa decided to go easy on the teasing.  _The wounds are likely still fresh from last night._ "Want me to go pick up the kids for you? I did promise I'd take care of the babysitting."

"But it's your birthday! Oh, happy birthday again, by the way. I can't believe that wasn't my first words. I wake up next to you on your birthday and don't even think to say it, I mean come on, Anna. I can't make you do that for me! I'm used to it. I can handle it just fine."

"You just went through a divorce yesterday. I can handle babysitting. You and Tiana can have some fun."

"I don't think I want quite the same kind of fun that Tiana would be after."

"She was just messing with you."

Anna raised an eyebrow skeptically at her.  _For the first time ever I could actually see the family resemblance._ "Seemed like a bit more than messing."

"My girlfriend was not trying to sleep with you."

Her teeth showed in a playful snarl. "Oh wasn't she? Sure seemed like it to me. She did say she has a taste for redheads. You jealous? Scared I might just steal her away from you?"

Elsa's glare made her little sister falter. She'd spent a lifetime perfecting it in depositions. "You think you have what it takes to take her away from me? Believe me, Anna, there's quite a lot you have to learn about pleasing women before you could compete with me."

Anna swallowed, her cheeks flushing as she averted her gaze.

"Anna? Did I go too far? Sorry, I was just teasing. Christ, what was I thinking? I didn't mean to rub in that you're new at this. I'm sure you're great in bed – wow that sounds so much worse. I'm gonna go pick up Olaf and Lilo, okay?"

"Yeah," Anna managed to reply, her eyes still locked on the carpet.

 _Can't even go half an hour of being awake without hurting her again. Maybe she was better off with me not talking to her._ "I'm sorry. How about I pick up breakfast on the way back? Is there anyplace that you'd like?"  _Wouldn't it be hilarious if I managed to make her start resenting me and avoiding me for years?_

"Yeah, that sounds great," Anna replied, her voice sounding feeble. "I'd love some French toast. There's a really good place just a few blocks away. I'll give you the address."

"All right." She tentatively pulled her sister into a hug, watching for any sign of struggle. "I'm sorry for teasing you so hard. I was being a bitch – like always."

Anna finally met her eyes. "It's okay. It wasn't that. I'm just being weird. I'm still half asleep, don't worry about it, okay. I love you."

"I love you too. Maybe try and grab another half hour or so of sleep while I'm gone?"

She nodded and leaned back against the couch cushions.

"Um, before you do that, I forgot to ask. Where am I going?"

Chuckling, Anna handed over her phone. "It's saved in my directions. Just type in Nani and it'll take you there. You sure you're up for this?"

"It's no problem." Elsa squeezed Anna in another hug before heading out. "Sweet dreams." She grabbed Anna's keys from the kitchen counter and found her way to the garage.  _Maybe before I'm here I can actually learn my way around this house._  Leaving the two most important women in the world to their dreams, Elsa hoped that she could manage to convince the nephew she'd all but abandoned these last few years to actually come with her when she picked him up.

* * *

Nani answered the door on the third knock. She was wearing a bathrobe and holding a mug of coffee. "Good morning," Elsa offered.

She blinked and stared at her. "Oh, right, I forgot that you were the one grabbing them today. You sure you're up for this?" She waved Elsa inside and offered her a cup of coffee.

"How hard can it be?" Elsa asked, sipping at the cup.

Nani broke into a chortle, her eyes falling pityingly onto Elsa. "You should just let Anna do it. Trust me, this is more than you can handle."

Gritting her teeth, Elsa replied "I promised her that I'd do it. Besides, I'm sure the kids want their ninja jedi or whatever it was training. I already have a rapport with them. Anyway, it's not like they're going to be any worse than a hostile witness."

"You have met Lilo, right?"

"Yeah, she's a bit excitable, but she seems like a good kid."

Nani finished off her coffee. "You know what, yeah, you're right. She's great. They're in Lilo's room. I'm sure you'll be fine."

 _I will be fine. Hell, I might need to be after that revelation with Tiana. How was that the first we'd ever talked about us having kids?_ She found the room and knocked on the door.

"Go away, Nani!" Lilo cried, as something thunked against the door. "We're still sleeping."

 _She still calls her 'Nani?'_  "Is that any way to treat you –"  _what the hell is a Jedi instructor called?_ "Sensei?"

"Oh, Sensei Elsa!" Lilo cried, as tiny feet thunked against the floor and the door swung open, squishing a pillow against the wall. "I'm sorry! I thought you were my sister. Is it time for our training? We're ready"

Olaf snored loudly from the bed.  _Seems he gets that from his mother._

"Well I'm ready. Olaf, get up! We're going to become Jedi ninja! Do you want me to be ahead of you? You'd never catch up. Long before you even learn how to use a lightsaber, I will already be the greatest warrior alive! None will stand before me – except for Sensei Elsa of course." She turned back to Elsa, a bashful look on her face. "Is Sensei Elsa okay or should it be your last name?"

 _What do they call Anna? Olaf obviously calls her mama, but I can't recall what Lilo calls her. If she calls her 'Anna' or 'Ms. Anna' or 'Aunt Anna' I certainly would feel weird having her call me by my last name, but the reverse is equally true. I'm overthinking this._ "Sensei Elsa is fine."

"Okay, Sensei Elsa." Lilo slapped her hand to her forehead in a quick salute. "Are you ready to start my training? It seems that my dear friend is going to lag behind."

"I'm up!" Olaf insisted, rubbing at his eyes. "Don't start the training without me, please, Aunt Elsa."

"That's Sensei Elsa!" Lilo shouted, stomping back over to her compatriot. "You have to abandon all familial bonds when you become a jedi, you know that!"

"I don't wanna give up my mama," he cried.

Elsa approached them, her hands held out placatingly. "Don't worry. We're a new order of Jedi ninja. You can keep your family."

"Oh, good!" Olaf let out his breath. "I'd been worried."

"Do I have to?" Lilo groaned.

"Yes."

"Fine."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Hurry up and get ready so we can leave. I'll be in the kitchen."

"They awake now?" Nani asked, pouring another cup for Elsa.

Sitting down in the same seat she'd vacated a few minutes earlier, Elsa nodded. "I didn't ask earlier. You still liking being a therapist?"

Nani groaned, staring into her coffee. "I thought I'd finally had this conversation with everyone I needed to. I'm not one anymore."

 _Great. Just once can you not put your foot in your mouth?_ "What happened? You'd seemed to be loving it when I was last here."  _Five years ago._

"Nothing dramatic. I liked the first year of it, but then our parents died and I took custody of Lilo, and I just never had the energy for dealing with anyone else's problems. I'm not sure it was ever a great fit for me in the first place, but especially not when I was dealing with a rambunctious one year old who was just aware enough to see that her parents weren't there anymore, but not enough to have their loss explained to her."

"I'd heard about that, Anna had included it in her happy birthday email that year, comparing you to me. Do you think you'd ever go back to it?"

She shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. It's not something I was super passionate about in the first place, it just seemed interesting. Honestly I think I get enough therapying from Anna. Which I might need to really do a lot more of if she thought that was an appropriate birthday card."

 _Should I object to her acting like Anna's her patient? It seems really demeaning but honestly it sounds like Anna's needed someone to vent to about everything, especially with me gone. It's probably a good thing Nani was a therapist._ "It was fine, she just gave me updates a couple times a year and we didn't really talk outside of it. So if you're not a therapist anymore, what have you been doing?"

Nani chuckled. "What haven't I been doing? You want a list? I tried being a bartender, but that didn't really work with having a kid. I worked security for a year or so, but I could barely afford to look after myself, let alone my two year old little sister. Anna tried to convince me to be a personal trainer, but that sounded like just being a sweaty therapist. Then about two years ago, I got a job with the postal service. Pay isn't bad, and the hours are just when Lilo is at school, so it works out pretty well, even if I do need to drop her off with Anna or Wendy on Saturdays."

Elsa tried to picture the woman in a postal worker's uniform. She couldn't. "Well, if it works it works."  _That's, what, 30, maybe 40, thousand a year? How does she manage? Lilo seems pretty healthy, but I just don't get it._

"It's a job, and at least I don't have to put up with anyone's problems but my own – and Anna's."

"You don't think you're being a little harsh on her?"

Nani's eyes hardened as she turned to face the older woman. "Am I the one being harsh on her? You're the one that all that abandoned her as soon as she ran off to college. I was actually there for her. So no, I don't think I'm being harsh, I think I've earned the right to talk like that about her. You sure as hell haven't."

"Nani –"

"No, I'm sorry, that was harsh. You're trying to make it up for her, and I shouldn't hold it against you. You're not her mom, it's not your job to be."

"But it was my job to be her older sister, and I still did a terrible job of that. And by those standards, it's not your job to be Lilo's mom, but I don't see you abandoning her."

"When she's eighteen? No, I'm changing the locks and my phone number. She'll be fine on her own."

Elsa snickered. "I'm sorry."

"Has Anna forgiven you?"

"I think so. I finally explained everything to her last night."

"Then I forgive you."

Olaf and Lilo wandered out of the room, having changed out of their pajamas. Lilo had a Kylo Ren backpack on, which was presumably full of clothes for the sleepover – or possibly dynamite.

"You're ready?" Elsa asked, rising from the stool. "It was nice talking to you again, Nani. Enjoy your day off. I'll make sure to have them back in the morning."

"Really, it's fine, take your time," Nani replied, almost managing to sound like she was joking. "Give my regards to Tiana."

"I assume your regards sound something like a high pitched squeal of delight followed by asking for her autograph?"

Nani paused to glare at Elsa. "Yeah, pretty much."

"I'll make sure to tell her. Come on, kids, let's get going."

The children followed after her to the door. "We're not kids anymore," Lilo insisted. "Today's the day we become adults, as we master the art of war."

"Wouldn't you just be younglings?" Elsa asked.  _I do not know Star Wars nearly well enough for this endeavor._

"You dare reference the movies that we do not speak the names of?!" Lilo shrieked.

"What was wrong with them?" Olaf asked, looking at Lilo with a mix of hurt and confusion. "I thought they were really fun."

"Traitor!"

"You two play nice or you're not getting any training," Elsa insisted.

"But I wasn't doing anything!" Olaf whined.

Lilo glowered at him. "Must I really suffer a prequel sympathizer just so I may learn the Force?"

"Yes."  
"Fine!" she folded her arms and stuck her tongue out at Olaf as Elsa unlocked the car.

On the way back, as Olaf and Lilo debated the merits of different lightsaber designs, Elsa pulled through a drive through to grab breakfast for everyone. The kids insisted on French toast sticks and it took numerous tries before they accepted that the restaurant didn't carry them. Lilo insisted that they could just slice their French toast into strips. When Elsa relayed this request, the cashier quickly gave in, so that they would finally move on to the next window.

As they walked in through the garage, laden with bags of delicious smelling fried goodness, Anna greeted them from the kitchen. "Hey, we just finished making coffee. Want a cup?"

Elsa set her bag on the table as her padawans did the same. "I just had two over at Nani's. I think I'll stick with water for now."

"You sure? You might need it if you're going to be dealing with them."

"I promise, I can handle two kids."

"Younglings," Olaf corrected.

"Jedi ninja," Lilo amended.

"I can see that," Anna replied, glancing down at the soon-to-be-fearsome-warriors.

Tiana watched Elsa's interactions with Olaf and Lilo with an amused grin. "I think you're going to be a great mom."

 _She's still on about that. I guess it's not like we've really had a chance to discuss it. And we still don't have one. Damn it, we really need to._  She looked nervously back at her girlfriend, before gesturing to the food. "Come eat."

"Fast food breakfast," Tiana replied, trying to keep the disgust from her voice.

"I got you grits."

"Fast food grits."

"Just give it a chance. If you hate it, I'm sure no one here will object to you making breakfast."

She glared at the Styrofoam bowl as Elsa slid it across the table. "It smells –" hesitating, she inhaled again, "edible."

"I'm sure it is." Elsa laughed as she opened the box containing her omelet.

Anna had already shoved some chocolate chip pancakes into her mouth. "Thank you," she managed to force out through around the chunks of chocolate chip and fried dough.

"You're very welcome." She looked over to the younglings as they devoured their food now that it was satisfactorily covered in both powdered sugar and syrup. "How are the French toast sticks?"

"They're not French toast sticks, they're just slices of French toast," Lilo insisted, attempting her best offended look despite a mouth completely smeared in sugar.

"They're French toast and they're sticks and they're delicious," Olaf said, the sugar in no way ruining his look of utter exaltation.

"I'm glad. The place had great reviews on Yelp."

Tiana muttered something under her breath.

"You have a 4.8 star average, you can not hate them."

She muttered again before adding "the grits aren't terrible. Though there's a reason food critiquing should be left to the professionals."

"You're critiquing food right now."

"And I'm a professional. That's half of what I do on TV."

Elsa had to concede that point. "User reviews are important. I'm a lot more likely to go off of them than what the professionals say."

Anna looked between the two women. Olaf and Lilo seemed utterly oblivious as they continued to demolish their meals. Tiana grit her teeth. "The general people don't know what good food is. They don't even know what they want most of the time. Who doesn't know that there's mushrooms in chicken Marsala?"

"What's chicken Marsala?" Anna asked.

"Does it not describe it on the menu?" Elsa inquired.

Tiana grumbled and shoveled more grits into her mouth.

Olaf looked up from his food to chime in. "Why would you put mushrooms in something?"

Tiana, to her credit, managed to avoid giving a death glare to a five year old. "Chicken marsala is amazing and I will make it for all of you tonight."

"Sounds great, I love your chicken Marsala," Elsa replied, ignoring the anger in her partner's tone.

"I don't want to eat mushrooms," Olaf whined.

"How about I order you two a pizza while the adults can all have chicken Marsala?"

Lilo stood from her chair. "I want chicken mercy law too!"

Smirking, Tiana said "Finally, someone with some taste."

"Hey, I want to try it," Anna insisted.

"Well of course you have taste, Anna," Tiana attempted.

Elsa gave her girlfriend a derisive glare. "You do realize that I was the first one to say I wanted it."

"Well you have to, or else you'd be sleeping on the couch."

"I slept on the couch last night."

Tiana paused, searching for a response. "Let me be grumpy!"

"Not until you admit that your whole issue with Yelp is ridiculous." Elsa folded her arms over her chest, her eyes never leaving her partner's.

"The general public has no idea what they want. There's a reason that they have, for years, listened to professional reviewers to suggest quality food. If we were to just go off of what was popular than the kids manning the deep fryers would be the best chefs in the world. I'm sure we can all agree that's not the case."

Olaf's face lit up as her looked up at Tiana. "Boy are they! I love McDonalds. Can we have them for dinner instead of chicken whatchamacallit or pizza?"

Lilo's mouth dropped open as she gave him a look of utter betrayal. "I want pizza!"

"But I want McNuggets!"

Anna looked between the two children and Elsa. "Delivery is easier."

Shrugging, Elsa studied her students. "You two can take all the time you need today, but you have to agree on what you're having for dinner. We're only going to one place."

"But Sensei!" Lilo insisted. "Pizza is better. We can't just have McDonalds. It would only weaken us, a proper warrior needs pizza to be at their best. Preferably with oysters."

"What?" Olaf returned her look of betrayal. "Lilo, I'm not eating oysters! They're gross."

"You ate them last time Nani bought pizza for us."

"I did not!"

Tiana ground her teeth as everyone moved on from her topic.

Lilo stood on her chair so that she could look down at Olaf. "You absolutely did. And you liked it."

"Was that what that weird stuff was on your side? There was just cheese on my side."

"She didn't get half and half! The whole thing was smoked oyster and it was delicious!" Lilo hopped down from her chair, reducing her to just over half of Olaf's sitting height, and glared up at him. "You loved it," she snarled.

"I didn't eat it! Aunt Nani had pulled me aside and told me that I'd probably just want cheese on my half as usual, but that you were on some weird oyster kick."

"She wouldn't dare. Splitting a pizza like that spits in the good name of pizza!"

 _Wow, people that actually care more about food than Tiana._ Elsa stood between the two of them. "A Jedi ninja doesn't allow such small concerns to come between them and their pupils. If you can't get over this and agree on something, then maybe you don't have it in you to be my Padawans."

Lilo scrambled past her chair legs, almost knocking it over as she clung to Elsa. "No, I can be a good student, I swear. I can forsake conflict! Whatever you need. I'll be the best Jedi ninja that ever lived."

Olaf looked utterly heartbroken, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "I didn't even do anything!"

"I'm not giving up on you two as students, but you need to try harder to get along. I won't have any infighting in my dojo."

"We'll be good!" they both promised.

"I trust you."

Tiana and Anna both looked on bemusedly, with their own satisfied smiles, without saying a word.

"Now finish up your breakfast, and then we can start your training."

The tears evaporated from his eyes as a massive grin spread over Olaf's face. "You mean it?"

"Yes, Sensei," Lilo replied, kicking sulkily at the ground.

Elsa took her seat again. "Of course. Just eat." She felt Anna squeezing her hand gently. She looked over to see the warm smile on her face.

"You're really good with them. Though don't you dare make my son cry," she added, a hint of steel in her voice.

"Sorry, I didn't realize he'd have quite that strong of a reaction."

Anna laughed. "It's okay. He's just a very passionate boy."

"He gets it from his mother," Elsa replied, prompting Anna to quickly turn back to her food.  _Guess she's hungry?_  Following suit, Elsa returned to her omelet. Tiana had already finished her grits and rose to toss the bowl into the garbage. "My grits are still better."

"Your everything is better, dear. Just enjoy not having to cook."

"I love not having to cook, when I'm trying out new and exciting food."

"How about you and Anna go hit up some food carts for lunch then?"

Tiana's surly expression softened. "Well, my dear, would you like to be my date for lunch tonight? I was reading about a great Greek cart not too far from here."

With another giggle, Anna tossed out her own empty Styrofoam container. "I would love to. Just so long as I get to pick where we go for dessert."

"For you? I'm all ears."  _What would I do if they actually slept together? I know she's joking – mostly – but boy is she ever laying it on thick. I don't think Anna would do it, but I know how much she loves attention. Oh come on, what am I thinking, she loves it because she's a romantic, and she knows that Tiana is just being a flirt. Besides, she did call her out on it last night, so I'm pretty sure she's just playing along now._

"I've been wanting to try out this crepe place Giselle mentioned. I can't wait for our date."

"Greek followed by crepes? I suppose I can live with that." She turned to Elsa. "Don't wait up, have fun with the kids."

Anna chewed on her lip before giving Elsa a wicked grin and announcing "I'll try to have her back to you before too late."

Tiana mirror the look. "I was going to say the same thing. I'll try not to keep your daughter out past curfew."

 _Why do I tell her anything? Well, I suppose Anya would've told her either way. It seems to be her favorite joke of late._  "Well then she's practically your daughter too, so I'd certainly hope you'll take good care of her while I'm looking after our grandson."

Tiana froze. She blinked, unable to process what had just been said to her. The smirk faded from her face as half a dozen different emotions fought for dominance. "Our grandson?" she finally managed, the words tumbling out with no particular inflection.

 _Right, the kids thing. Which likely means the marriage thing. I need to just not say words. I'm just going to go train children to use an imaginary form of magic while also becoming expert martial artist. That seems way way way easier than dealing with this situation._ "Well, younglings, your training begins."

Tiana attempted to collect herself. "Elsa –" she began.

"Later," Elsa tossed the last bits of her food in the garbage as the children did the same. Looking back at her girlfriend she couldn't help but feel more than a little bit guilty about her behavior. "I promise. We'll talk about it soon."

She nodded, letting out a long breath. "All right."

 _Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to say. Great._  Lilo tugged at the hem of her skirt. "Come on!" she pleaded.

As she led Elsa out of the room, the reality finally hit her.  _What the hell am I even doing? I don't even have toy lightsabers to give them or anything, and I certainly don't know martial arts to teach them. It's a great way to keep them excited and in line, but what on Earth could I possibly actually do?_

A wicked glint shone from Lilo's eyes. "Sensei Elsa, we're ready to begin our training!"

"Yeah!" Olaf grinned merrily next to her.  _How are these two even friends?_

"Um, that's great," Elsa replied, racking her brain for any sort of answer to her quandary.

"What do you want us to do?" Lilo was giving her a look that was somewhere between worship and hunger, and it gave Elsa the distinct impression that if she didn't come up with something soon, they would turn on her as quickly as they had followed her in the first place.

 _Has Kristoff moved out with the dog yet? I think I would've noticed a moving van, but I haven't heard either of them moving about._ "For the first part of your training, you will have to beat Sven in a race around the yard."  _Just have to hope the dog will actually play along and I should have them occupied all day._

Surprisingly, it worked. Lilo and Olaf bundled up in their winter coats and proceeded to spend the next three hours chasing Sven around the yard. He managed to consistently stay just ahead of them and looked to be just about the happiest dog Elsa had ever seen.  _Personally having children chase me for three hours sounds like Hell, but I'm glad he's enjoying it._

Near the end of the third hour, Olaf and Lilo managed to corned Sven and Lilo tackled him, prompting a barrage of face licks. "We did it!" Olaf cheered.

It wasn't exactly the rules she'd given them, but it had likely done a good enough job tiring them out that she wasn't overly concerned. "Very good. You have come far, young Padawans. I believe it's time that you receive your lightsabers."

Both of their eyes lit up as they turned to her, causing Sven to bolt towards Elsa and hide behind her legs.  _Apparent he's had enough playtime as well._ "You mean it, Aunt Elsa? We get lightsabers?"  
"Are we going to have to pick out our own crystals and make them? Where do we go to find crystals?"

Elsa's smile faded.  _Shit, how seriously are they going to actually take this?_  "I was just going to buy you some at the store."  
This did nothing to diminish their glee. "Can we get candy while we're there?" Olaf asked.

Shrugging, Elsa replied "Sure."  _I can't imagine Anna forbidding candy, so I think I'm in the clear there._

When they arrived at the toy store, Olaf and Lilo ran off to the Star Wars section, apparently not even slightly tired by their hours of adventure.  _How do they do it? I'm exhausted just from watching them._  Once she caught up to them, a stern look was enough to stop their fighting in the middle of the aisle. "Have you both already picked out which one you want?"

"Can I have three?" Olaf asked.

"No."  
He stuck his lip out, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

 _I swear, the apple does not fall far from the tree._  "Young Padawan, you know you need to keep those feelings in check. A lightsaber is a sacred weapon. How are you supposed to care for it properly if you have to divide your attention between three of them?"

"Yes, Aunt Elsa," he replied, dropping his head.

Lilo took the opportunity to bop him with her weapon, still in its cardboard box.

"No fighting."

"But then how will we ever become great warriors, sensei? We must always be ready for battle and take every opportunity to practice our techniques."

"And not get kicked out of the store."

Her eyes widened. "Would I still get a lightsaber then?"

Elsa only shook her head.

"I'll be good!"

After they checked out, they exited the store, with Rei's lightsaber clipped to one of Olaf's empty belt loops and Lilo holding Kylo Ren's lightsaber as menacingly as she could without being reprimanded by her sensei.

In the back seat of Anna's Kia, the children took turns smacking each other with their new toys whenever they thought Elsa wasn't looking, despite the telltale sound effects giving them away. She ignored them, letting them have their fun, figuring that as long as they were trying to be subtle about it, they weren't likely to grow too carried away and actually hurt each other.

Once they were back at Anna's, Olaf and Lilo released themselves from their booster seats and bolted into the house, their lightsabers glowing and making swooshing sounds as they ran. "Mama!" Elsa could hear Olaf shouting as she climbed out of the car. "Look what Aunt Elsa bought us! They're so cool."

"What was wrong with your old one?" Anna asked, as Elsa entered the room.

"This one is cooler!"

Lilo added "Yeah, look at the super cool thingies on the side of mine!"

"How come mine doesn't have that?"

"Cause yours isn't as awesome!"

"But mine's a better color!"

"Nuh-uh!" Lilo stuck out her tongue and brought her lightsaber to bare.

"I'll prove that mine's better!" Olaf insisted, holding his weapon in both hands as he met his opponents eyes.

"Winner picks dinner?" Lilo asked, her blade level with her eye.

"But I don't want oysters!"

"Then don't lose."

Elsa stood between them. "Not in the kitchen. If you're going to fight take this outside."

Anna gave her an approving glance. "Fine, just be careful. If I have to go to the hospital with Nani again, I'm taking away every single one of your toys that even slightly resemble a weapon."

They didn't need another word of encouragement. Both of the kids ran outside, clashing and swooshing sound effects immediately announcing the beginning of their fight. "Should I go keep an eye on them?"

"Nah." Anna waved her hand, dismissing the idea. "Better to have plausible deniability. Let them have their fun and if it allows them to actually agree on a food, that just makes our jobs easier."

Elsa threw herself into a chair at the table. "What I wouldn't do for a glass of wine right now."

If she didn't know any better, Elsa would have sworn that Anna was giving her a seductive smile. "Just what would you do for a glass of wine?"

Elsa blinked. This was not enough so she blinked again. "Go buy one at the store?" she finally offered, woefully unprepared for such a question coming from her sister.

Anna turned away, checking at least three different cabinets before she set a bottle of wine and a glass on the table without ever turning back. "Yeah, that makes sense. Try not to have too much, you are babysitting, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had a glass or three when doing the same. I'm gonna go fine Tiana. Maybe I can convince her to start dinner. I'm getting kinda hungry. I hope you like the wine. It was on sale. I saw Esmeralda drinking it once so it's probably good. Unless she was drinking it ironically, is that a thing she'd do? I should really know the answer to that, she was my girlfriend. Right, I'll go do that." She ran off, leaving a very confused Elsa to drink alone.

 _What the hell was that? Has Tiana's flirting finally driven her insane? Oh God, they didn't actually sleep together, did they? There's no way it would happen, but it would certainly make that behavior make a lot more sense. Though I guess any amount of sense would be more._ She found herself finishing off her second glass without even realizing she'd had her first.  _Should probably stop there. I'm not even sure if I'm going to be able to get whatever crazy thing they pick out delivered._  She put her hands behind her head and leaned back in her chair, staring up at the bumpy stucco pattern of the ceiling. She heard her phone beep from her purse.

Pulling it out, she saw that she had a message from an unknown Portland number. "Hey, it's Elizabeth. You're right, we should grab drinks. Tonight work?"

Elsa considered this for a moment. She hadn't thought that her old flame would actually take her up on the offer.  _What's it hurt?_  She quickly composed a reply. "I'm actually babysitting for Anna tonight, but I'd love to see you tomorrow. When and where?"  _This'll be nice. She deserves the closure, and I just need to see that my choosing looking after Anna over her didn't completely ruin her life. I wonder if that's what started me down this whole path of pushing away everyone I care of?_  She stared longingly at the wine, considering a third glass. That was far more introspection than she'd been planning for the day.

Shaking her head, Elsa returned the bottle to the shelves.  _We'll probably have more with dinner anyway. No sense getting drunk now._

"No fair!" Lilo shouted as the backdoor slid shut behind them. "That was cheating!"  
"I didn't cheat. It's not my fault you slipped. I still helped you up."

"Yeah, after you stabbed me!"

"You did it to me last time we played pirates! It's only fair."

"Pirates play dirty. Jedi don't!"

"Don't be a sore loser."

The bickering pair walked into the kitchen to find Elsa laughing heartily. "McDonald's it is then."

Olaf looked like he'd just won the lottery.

Sounds from the Star Wars movie that Lilo and Olaf were watching in the other room filtered into the kitchen, as Elsa, Anna, and Tiana sat around a table with plates of chicken marsala and asparagus, with glasses of Merlot. "Happy birthday, Elsa," Tiana said, raising her glass in a toast.

"Happy birthday," Anna added.

They all clinked their glasses. "I was beginning to worry that you'd forgotten," Elsa said with a wry smile.

"Never. I just wanted to wait until dinner." She pulled a box wrapped in a colorful Christmas paper out from under her chair. "I hope you like it."

 _We never could stick to our no presents agreement._ She opened the present in her lap, to reveal a new Kindle.

"I know you old one died. Thought you might want something to read on the flight back."

"Thank you, Tiana. It's perfect."

"It's nothing. I love you, Elsa."

"I love you too, Tiana."

Anna shoved a large bite of chicken into her mouth. "This is amazing."

Tiana smirked. "I'm glad you enjoy it. Maybe I'll make it for Olaf when he's old enough to appreciate it."

"Hopefully that day will come. He can be such a fussy eater."

Stabbing some asparagus onto her fork, Elsa replied "Is he? I mean he's five, isn't eating like that still normal at that age. It seems like Lilo is just really adventurous."

Tiana glanced in the direction of the living room. "Well maybe I can help improve that. I'm sure I could find some new things that even a young picky eater would enjoy. His taste buds haven't fully matured yet, but there's still a lot I can work with."

Anna blew out a breath. "You're welcome to try. Nothing I've done has made much of an impact."

Her grin growing wider, Tiana cracked her knuckles. "All right, I'll do it. I guarantee by the time I leave, Olaf will have tried and like at least five new foods."

"Five? That seems like a pretty tall order. I'd be happy with just one."

"One would be child's play –" Elsa snickered at Tiana's accidental pun. "I've given you my word, and I'll see to it that it happens."

"All right. If you can do it, I'll be so grateful."

"Oh, really? How grateful are we talking?" She gave Anna a quick wink. "Am I gonna get a kiss out of this?"

Elsa rolled her eyes and chewed on some chicken.  _If they actually have sex – I don't know – I would be very upset!_

"I don't know. I wouldn't want to get my sister all jealous."  
"What does she have to be jealous of? She's the one I'm going home with. A bit of play never hurt anyone."  
"Behave," Elsa grumbled.

Tiana stuck out her tongue.

Anna looked as if she was about to say something, but whatever it would have been, she seemed to think better of it, as she resumed shoveling food down her throat.

"Oh, I bought you a few new books on there," Tiana said after the silence had grown too pervasive.

"Oh, which ones?"  
"I forget now, it was when I bought the Kindle. A new John Grisham book, something gay in Norwegian, a couple others I can't recall."

Anna looked up from her plate, clearly a bit surprised. "Elsa, you remember Norwegian?"

"Not a lot. I've been trying to work on it."

"Oh. Wow. It never even occurred to me."

"You never lived there. I don't really remember much of living there, just a few of our visits, but it was such a big part of our history and our family, I wanted to get back into it. Now granted, I've worked on it maybe twice over the past year and made it about five pages into a Norwegian book, but I have a little bit more freedom now, so maybe I'll find the opportunity at some point."

"How do you say 'hi?'" she asked, the excitement clear on her face.  _Maybe this is something I should share with her. I've got her back in my life, our history is certainly something we have in common. I just wish I was a better teacher._

"'Hi' would be 'hei.'"

"Oh. That's actually a little disappointing." She giggled. "I was hoping for something really extravagant. What's a really cool word you know?"  
"I don't know what would even be a cool word. 'Cool' is just 'kul' if that helps. My Norwegian is still really bad, I have to use a Norwegian dictionary like every other word."

Anna stuck out her lip in a pout, the wine sauce glistening on it giving a slightly comical effect. "Something has to be interesting sounding."

 _What could I even say. Nothing is coming to me. Oh, wait –_ "Well 'gratulerer med dagen' is 'happy birthday.'"

"Oh! Gratuler – what was it?"

"Gratulerer med dagen."

"That thing then!"

Elsa rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you, Anna."

Her cheeks colored slightly as she grinned in response. "I hope you're having a great birthday. I'm so happy you're celebrating it with me."

"I am too."

Anna took her hand under the table and squeezed it gently. Elsa squeezed back.  _This trip was a wonderful idea._

The next evening, Elsa met Elizabeth for drinks at a bar the other woman had recommended. "Hey there," she attempted, grabbing a seat next to her former lover. "Thanks again for helping out Anna."

At that, Elizabeth's expression soured and she helped herself to a large swig of her drink. "You're late."

Elsa checked the time on her phone. "No I'm not. I'm three minutes early."

"Oh." She checked her own phone. "You're right. You are. Sorry. Anyway, it was no problem, I can certainly understand where Anna was coming from."

"You gave her a discount. For that I'd say I at least owe you a drink."

"It was a favor for a colleague and an old flame. Really, Elsa. It was nothing, don't try to make it seem like anything more."  
Elsa put up her hands in surrender. "Fine then, I'll just buy two drinks for myself and if you decide that you want one of them, you're welcome to it." She waved the bartender over. "Two glasses of Johnny Walker, on the rocks."

The man nodded and poured the drinks before sliding them over. Elizabeth sucked on her teeth but promptly took one of them. "No fair using that against me."

"I wasn't sure it would even work. I just knew it was what you drank in college."

"God I was a spoiled child. What 18 year old is drinking Johnny Walker Green when she's in college? I just called my daddy up for money and we'd end up drinking all this expensive stuff. I didn't even know what normal whiskey tasted like until –" she downed the glass in a single gulp "my ex."

"I'm certainly not complaining, you introduced me to Macallen. Besides, we went to Stanford, do you know anyone there who wasn't spoiled?"

"Mulan?"

Elsa paused, considering her words. _It's always weird hearing your first love mention your second girlfriend._ "Her parents were still pretty well off."

"Not like ours."

"Mine were dead," Elsa reminded her.

"Then not like you."

Elsa finished her own drink and tried to catch the bartender's attention. He was busy chatting up some young girl at the end of the bar, but she was more than happy to wait as long as she could if it meant that they could drop the subject.

"Elsa?" Elizabeth asked.

Groaning, Elsa turned back to her. "I was far from rich."

"Did you need to take out loans?"  
"No," she muttered.

"You had your scholarships, and you paid for plenty of crazy things. Anna certainly wasn't starving."

"We both inherited a bit, but most of it was in a trust, and our parents weren't rich. They certainly weren't poor, but nothing like your parents."  
"I know you want to think of yourself as a self-made woman, and you absolutely are, I don't want to take that away from you, I'm just saying that you and I were pretty comfortable in our college days, long before we had ever had a job."

"Okay, sure, I'm rich." She turned back to the bartender, who had finally noticed her. "Could we get more drinks. Triples preferably."

Irritation creeping into her voice, Elizabeth asked "What's the problem?"

"We had this conversation the first time we tried being friends again. I don't feel like having the same argument. I know you think that I didn't need to actually be there for Anna, that we were well off enough that she didn't need her big sister mothering her, that she was old enough, but she did. And I needed to be there for her. Why is this even still an issue? It's been fifteen years, Elizabeth, I thought we were okay. You haven't even said a thing about our breakup in ten years, and we've been friends."

"Right, friends." She rolled her eyes and snatched the drink as soon as it was put before her, downing a few swigs. "We've definitely been such great friends."

"I sure thought we were. Maybe acquaintances, I guess we weren't exactly that close, but I have no idea what's gotten into you."

Biting her lip, Elizabeth stared down into her glass. "It's nothing."

"It clearly isn't." Elsa spun her stool to look dead on at her old friend. "What's going on?"

"You picked her over me, I know that. It was a perfectly reasonable thing to do, and you're not responsible for anything that happened after that, but to have to deal with her personally, to find out that you haven't even been there for her in over a decade when she was so important that you – that you decided that you couldn't have anyone else in your life, it brought up some old feelings."

"Picked her? She was my sister and I had custody of her. I thought I could make having a life outside of her and college, but I was wrong, and I didn't think it was fair to you to drag you along. For an eighteen year old, that sure sounds like a pretty rational and mature decision. Why are you still upset with me? Seriously, I thought we'd buried this years ago."

Elizabeth turned to her, her eyes red and shining with unshed tears. "We have. Just forget it. You don't understand anything."

"No, I don't. How about you enlighten me. Then maybe you can stop hating me for something that happened fifteen fucking years ago!" Elsa blushed lightly when she noticed that several people around them had turned to glance at the quarreling women. Lowering her voice, she added "Please."

"You really want to know?"

"Oh my god, Elizabeth, either tell me or drop it!" she screamed as quietly as she could.

"There's a lot I never told you."

Elsa silently urged her to continue, not trusting herself to open her mouth without screaming at the woman to end the suspense.

"When you left me, I didn't handle it in the best way. Aside from going on a drug fueled bender, I probably handled it about as poorly as imaginable." She paused to finish off her drink.  _SPIT IT OUT_ _!_ "I went back in the closet. I actually ended up marrying a man. I tried for so long to convince myself that I was happy, that it had all just been a phase, and then, after I thought I was finally in a better place, the very woman that put me in that position made me relive the biggest mistake of my life with the person that caused her to put me there in the first place."

 _What? We've been talking for years, why didn't she ever say anything? I guess we really weren't friends. Did I ever even bother to ask how she was doing or did I just ever bitch to her about law school and girlfriends and just expect her to do the same? Wow, I thought the terrible person thing was newer than that._ "Oh. Oh God, Elizabeth. I'm sorry, I had no idea."

"How could you? I never told you. Granted, you never asked, but I suppose it was a lot to expect you to ask 'Did you suppress who you are and enter into a boring marriage with a man you can barely stand?' Although I think 'Are you doing okay? How've you been since you graduated?' could've been a decent start."

 _So I really did never ask. Wow, I'm a bitch._ "I'm sorry."

"Forget it, Elsa. It's ancient history."

She waved for the bartender again, feeling that they were going to need it. "It doesn't sound it. But I really am sorry. I don't regret choosing my responsibility for Anna over my burgeoning love for you, but I should have at least tried to be a friend to you instead of letting you do something like that."

"Of course, you never regret a thing. 'Letting' me do something? So what, you were in charge of me?"

 _Maybe more alcohol isn't a good idea._ "I deserve that. Say whatever you need to say."

The tears finally spilled, and she pulled Elsa to her by the sleeves of her dress, burying her face in her shoulder as she sobbed. "You ruined my life."

"I know." After a moment's hesitation, Elsa brought her hand to her old friend's hair, stroking it as her other hand wrapped around her back. "I'm sorry. Let it all out. I'm not going anywhere."


	18. Anna - Nothing Else Would Make Sense

Anna sat at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee when she heard the familiar sound of Kristoff's truck door slamming outside. Elsa and Tiana were still asleep upstairs.  _I guess I'm dealing with this alone. I can handle it._

The doorbell rang.  _Why does that hurt all the more? Hell, he still has a key, ringing the bell just seems so wrong, but I guess he really is gone. I know it's what I wanted, and it's still what I want, I know exactly who I want to be with, and it certainly isn't him, but it still hurts._

She answered the door, and met Kristoff, who looked like he'd rather be doing anything else in the world. "Hey, Anna," he offered, the hurt still clear in his voice.

"Good morning, Kristoff," Anna replied, trying not to sound like she was at a funeral. "Would you like some coffee?"

He shook his head. "No, that's all right, I'll just get the rest of my stuff. Did you pack any more of it?"

"A little, but I've been kind of busy."

"I figured. I'd packed most of it anyway, I should be out of your hair before too long. You're still okay with me picking up Olaf tomorrow for Christmas, right? I don't want to deprive you of that."

"Of course. Kristoff, you're still his father. We'll do presents tonight, it's when we always did it anyway. You'll have time to set up some furniture and everything."

"All right, thank you." He glanced down at the threshold, before finally stepping inside his old house. "You don't have to help me move the stuff, I've got it."  
"I want to. I mean I want to help, not like I just really want you out of here. Sorry."

He gave a pained laugh. "Christ, Anna, you make it hard to be mad at you. Big stuff first. I think I only have two or three trips left."

When Kristoff returned from the first trip, Elsa and Tiana had joined Anna in the kitchen. "Hey, want some pancakes? I made plenty," Tiana offered as he walked in.

He met Elsa's eyes for a moment in a silent exchange that Anna couldn't begin to fathom, but nodded. "Yeah, all right. I suppose I can't exactly turn down free food made by Tiana Rose."

"Who said it was free?" Elsa teased.

"I'm pretty sure I bought the ingredients."

"That ought to cover it," Tiana replied, as Kristoff joined them at the table, and she grabbed him a plate.

Anna protested, "Tiana, you don't have to do everything. You're a guest."

"I don't mind. Nice to have someone who actually appreciates my cooking." She shot Elsa a playful glare.

"Tiana, my darling beloved, I adore your cooking. You are the greatest chef in the world. No one else could ever appreciate it like I do." Elsa demonstrated this by theatrically bringing a forkful of pancakes to her mouth and moaning once they hit her tongue, eating with slow exaggerated chewing.

Tiana's glare intensified.

Kristoff came to the rescue. "I'll appreciate any pancakes someone will offer me."

They ate as quickly as they could to get back to the work at hand, and so that they could stop dealing with the awkwardness of Kristoff both living and not living there. It wasn't quite the atmosphere that Anna would have preferred, but it was still nice.  _I'd much rather have some alone time with my sister. I just mean that I really miss her, not like I'm after anything weird, she's been gone for so long and I have so little time with her. That's all. Nothing else would make sense. I'm not in love with my sister. I know she didn't love me, not like I thought she did, and it's not like I returned her non-existent feelings._ "Those boxes aren't going to move themselves, lets get to it."

"We'll help," Elsa offered.

Tiana gave a far less playful glare, but nodded her head. "Of course we will. Why wouldn't we?" she offered with a clearly forced grin.  _I wonder when the last time either of them had to actually do any manual labor was. No, you will not picture Elsa all sweaty in a tanktop, stop it._

Between the four of them, they were able to load the truck in record time. When Kristoff drove off, the three women retreated to the kitchen for some bottled water. Anna stared as Elsa wiped the bottle against her forehead and guzzled down half the bottle.  _Why is that even hot? I mean I sure am thirsty._ She grabbed herself a drink, downing it without even noticing, her thoughts elsewhere.

Elsa's dress clung to her, and even in the winter chill, what little skin she had visible was glistening.

By the time they had finished the final load, and Kristoff had bid farewell and hugged the newly woken Olaf, Anna was barely able to keep her eyes off of her sister.  _How am I even going to handle this for the next week and a half? No wonder she avoided me for so long – right, that wasn't the actual reason. I'm really wishing it was. Not that I would do anything if it was of course, that would still be wrong. It would just be really nice to know._

They all sat around the Christmas tree, Olaf waiting eagerly by the tree, his gaze wandering over the presents much as Anna's was following his aunt's curves. "You did get the present we ordered, right?" Elsa asked. Her voice was right in Anna's ear and it was more than a little bit distracting. "Anna?"

 _Right, answer, don't just ogle._ "Yeah, of course, it's the big one under the tree."

"I'm glad. I've never actually been here to see him open my presents before. This is really nice."

Anna nervously sipped at her hot chocolate.  _Wow, even being reminded of her having all but abandoned me isn't enough to make this stop. I wasn't this bad when she first got here!_  "It is. I'm so glad you're here. We're finally a family again."

"Mama..." Olaf whined. "Can we open the presents now?"

"All right, honey. Who's that big one for?" She gestured towards the present Elsa had ordered.

He hauled it into his lap and studied the label intently. "It's to me! It's from Aunt Elsa and Aunt Tiana."

Hearing a murmur of surprise from Tiana, Anna couldn't help but giggle. "I wonder what it is. Why don't you open it?"

He shredded the wrapping paper, pulling the box from the scraps. "Oh, wow! Mama, look what she bought me!"

"Elsa, you didn't have to –"

"You'd mentioned him playing with his Nintendo a lot, and I know this is a fancy new console, so I figured it'd be a good present. I hope it's not something he already had."

Anna stared at the PS4 Pro, wishing she could afford to spend that much on a present.  _I'm going to be having enough trouble just making the mortgage without Kristoff, and she can just spoil him like that._ "Thank you. Olaf, what do we say?"

"Thank you so much Aunt Elsa, Aunt Tiana. Can I go play it now?" He hopped up to his feet, the box clasped firmly in his hands.

"Don't you want to open your other presents?" Anna chided him.

He found a game-shaped present from Elsa. "Yeah, I do!" He tore it apart to find a copy of Knack 2. "Thank you, Aunt Elsa." His grin threatened to extend past his cheeks.

"You can play it once we finish with presents. How about that one?" She indicated one from her.

"Thank you, Mama!" he chirped, ripping one of the two Starfleet badges from the packaging.

"It works too. You and Lilo will be able to communicate properly when you're playing Star Trek."

"I love it, Mama. I can't wait to show it to Papa!"

 _That shouldn't hurt so much. I know Star Trek was always their thing. Hell, I had to have him help me pick this out._ "I'm glad you like it."

Once Olaf had torn through a few more of his presents, Anna stopped him. "Olaf, don't you want to hand one of us our presents too?"

"Oh, right, I'm sorry Mama. I was just so excited. Here, Aunt Tiana, this is from me and my mom, I hope you like it."

 _My little gentleman._ Tiana beamed, taking the gift. "Thank you so much, Olaf. I wonder what it is." She gently tore open the wrapping.  _She must have learned that from Elsa_. "Oh, Olaf, it's beautiful. Thank you so much. Thank you, Anna." She held the pendant up so that Elsa could see it. "I'm going to wear this for filming next month."

Olaf dug through the presents for a moment before handing Elsa one. "My Mama said that you could really use this."

"Why, is it a massager?" Elsa asked, the joke fortunately flying over Olaf's head and right into Anna's.

"No, of course not, no, that'd be be silly," Anna insisted. "It's nothing like that."

Elsa opened the gift to reveal a basket with soaps, lotions, bath salts, bubble baths, and a couple bath bombs.  _That seemed so much more innocent when I bought it._  She pushed away any thoughts of Elsa trying them out. "I love it, Anna. Rose and honeysuckle are two of my favorite scents. How did you know?"

"I just thought they'd suit you. I'm glad you like them."

"Olaf, mind handing your Mama her gift for me?" Elsa asked.

He handed a present to Anna.

"I meant the one from me – right, yours first. Good thinking." She beamed amicably at the child.  _She really does have a way with him._

"Aww, Olaf! Thank you so much." She held up the drawing of three figures standing next to a small child. The people were labeled 'Mama,' 'Aunt Elsa,' 'Aunt Teena,' and 'Me.' "Look, it's us!"

"I love it," Elsa said. "You really captured your Aunt Teena's good looks."

Tiana half-smirked back. "Your very essence is inscribed upon that paper."

"Look, we're holding hands," Anna chimed in.

Tiana took the drawing from Anna, examining it with a critical eye. "I have some connections in the art world, maybe you should meet."

"Lilo says I shouldn't tie myself down yet."

"Lilo is a very wise Jedi ninja," Tiana replied seriously.

"I'll grab your present now, Aunt Elsa."

Anna's heart beat in her chest as she fumbled with the paper. She unveiled it to find something more wondrous and terrifying than she could have possibly imagined. "A spa day?"

"I thought you and I could have some good sisterly bonding time, and after everything you've been through, it seemed like you could use it. I guess you had the same idea for me."

"I love it. So much. Really, thank you. I just really have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." Anna hurried out of the room, desperate to hide her almost certainly blushing face.  _How the hell am I going to handle spending naked time with Elsa?_

Anna rang the doorbell to Giselle's house. The door swung open and one excitable redhead wrapped the other in a massive hug. "Anna, it's been too long!"

"I just saw you last week," Anna insisted, feeling the life being squeezed out of her.

"School doesn't count. It's been at least a month since we last hung out outside of work." She released her first victim and promptly latched onto Elsa. "You must be Elsa! I've heard so much. Sometimes it seems like you're all Anna can talk about."  _And all I can think about._  "She's said nothing but great things."

"Are you sure you have the right person?" Elsa awkwardly patted her back. "Anna, do you know some other Elsa?"

"Is she cute?" Tiana asked teasingly.

"Don't be silly." Giselle laughed, pulling back to examine the woman she had been crushing. "You look just like in her pictures. I'm so excited to finally meet you. I'm Giselle."

"Anna's told me about you. I think she used the term 'work wife.'"

"Oh, did she now? Well I was there to help her discover her sexuality. You projecting on me now, Anna?"

Anna's face was reddening quickly.  _Why did I think this was a good idea?_  "What, are you too good to be my work wife?"

"Oh, no, I'm honored. We shall be the envy of all other work marriages." Her gaze traveled to Tiana. "Um, sorry, and you are?"

Tiana blinked, her mouth dropping open. "You haven't heard of me?"

"No, Anna didn't mention anyone else. Oh, wait, you must be Elsa's girlfriend! She did mention you, was it Tina?"

"Tiana Rose," she replied, her voice faltering.

"Nice to meet you, Tiana." She pulled the flabbergasted woman into another hug. "I'm Giselle, Anna's work wife."

A lanky man, with long black hair, in a nice looking, but oddly Victorian black suit, appeared at the door. "Oh, they're here! Good evening, it's a pleasure to meet you all. Anna, it's been months. You really must come over more often. I made a quiche."

"I made fudge," Tiana offered.

"Oh, that sounds delightful. I can't wait to try it." He took a few steps towards them, sweeping Anna into another massive hug. At this distance, Anna could see the skulls making up the pinstripes of his suit, and the collar faintly visible under his shirt's collar.

When he pulled away, he extended his hand to Tiana. "I'm Jack Skellington. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Tiana Rose," she repeated.

"Tiana Rose, Tiana Rose, why does that name sound so familiar? Oh, it's on the tip of my tongue."

Her eyes widened. She looked so hopeful.

"Oh, right, you're that chef! The one on TV. I never did watch your show, but I've seen you in a few commercials."

Looking utterly crestfallen, Tiana only nodded.

"Well I'm thrilled to meet you. I'm sure your fudge is amazing." He turned to Elsa. "And you must be Anna's famous big sister."

Elsa took his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Anna could see her studying his garb.  _Please don't say anything embarrassing. Please._ "I love the suit. I dated a goth girl in college, would've loved to see her in an outfit like that."

"Oh, thank you. It was on sale."

As they all went inside, Tiana shot Elsa a panicked look, as if pleading for help. Elsa only shrugged in response. And stopped herself from giggling.  _Don't want to make her feel bad, but it is kinda nice to see someone not know her for once._

Giselle gestured towards the living room. "Make yourselves at home, Jack just put the roast in the oven a couple hours ago. Should only be another hour. Sorry, I wasn't expecting you quite so soon."

"Yeah, the snow was just really starting to come down, so I figured we should head over here before it was too late. I hope that's not a problem," Anna replied.

"No problem at all, Anna. I'm always happy to see you, and I've been dying to meet your sister for years." She turned to Elsa. "She's told me so much. I hope you can live up to your reputation," she added with a jovial laugh. "Jack?"

Jack gave a slight nod. "Right, of course. Could I get any of you a drink?"

A few minutes later, they all sat around the living room, with their drinks in front of them. Anna, Elsa, and Tiana were all on the couch, with Giselle in an armchair and Jack sitting on the footrest in front of her. "I'm really glad you could all spend Christmas with us," Giselle said. "Though I'm sorry Olaf couldn't join us. I miss the little guy."

"He misses you too." Anna sighed. "I promise I'll bring him over to visit before too long."

"How about you let me babysit again next time you have a date? I do believe you mentioned some cute new girl in your life."

Anna's eyes fell on Elsa before realization hit her.  _Oh, right, Moana, we kissed, I am dating someone! I think._ "Oh, yeah, of course. That sounds great. I would love for you to do that."

"That was your cue to tell me about her, honey."

"Right. Sorry."  _How do you manage to be this awkward?_ "Her name's Moana. She's a friend of Nani's – she's a pilot."

"Are you two official yet? You told me about your kiss, and what you just said, but that's about it."

Jack perked up in his seat. "A pilot? I bet she's seen all sorts of interesting places. Has she said much of what that's like? I wanted to be a pilot when I was little."

"Oh, what do you do instead?" Elsa asked. "I assume you're not another teacher."

"What, because of my clothes? I guess that is a bit of a dead giveaway, isn't it."

Elsa faltered, her eyes going wide. "I didn't mean it like that."

"It's fine. I get more than enough stares when I drop her lunch off for her. I'm an engineer. They're a lot more accommodating."

Elsa nodded. "That makes sense."

Giselle groaned. "The girl, Moana, talk, now."

Anna blinked. "Yes, ma'am," she grumbled, Giselle covering a laugh with her hand. "We're not official yet, but we have decided that we're actually at a point where we're going to try dating for real. We had just been being friends, and that clearly didn't work well." She felt an affectionate hand on her thigh from her sister. Anna immediately downed her drink.  _Right, Moana. Focus, Anna._

"I'm proud of you," Elsa said. "I know how scary this has all been. I wish I could've helped you figure yourself out when you were younger." This sent some very exciting images into Anna's head, as she considered exactly how Elsa could have helped her explore her desires. She crossed her leg, pulling away from Elsa.

"Thank you, sis."  _Have I ever called her sis before?_ "She seems like she could be really good for me. She's so confident, and sexy. She just really seems to have it all together. She knows who she is, and what she wants, and I'm pretty excited that I seem to be part of that. I'm just hoping that I don't screw it up by jumping into things before I'm ready. So far I'm two for two there."

"Don't think like that," Giselle insisted. "If it's meant to be then it's meant to be. I'm sure you and she are going to be something special."

"I hope you're right. She's just really wonderful." Anna leaned against Elsa. "She makes me feel really safe. She seems to really understand me, and I know she won't pressure me. She's just always there for me when I need her, and I know I can really trust her."

Elsa gave her a warm smile. "Wow, it's sounding like you're already falling for her. How long have you known her again?"  
Anna examined her empty drink, and instead grabbed Elsa's, taking a quick sip. "Oh, just a month, we've just really clicked."

"Well I think it sounds amazing," Jack chimed in. "And she's a very lucky girl to capture our Anna here."

"That she certainly is," Elsa agreed, placing an arm around her.

Anna squeaked.

"I think we embarrassed her," Giselle added in a singsong. "I'm really happy for you, Anna."

"How about you two?" Tiana asked, swooping in for the rescue. "How'd you meet?"

"Us?" Jack looked to Giselle.

"Tell them, dear."

"It was at a Halloween party. She was a princess, I was a werewolf."

"Not what I was expecting," Elsa replied.

"We hit it off, spent the whole party on the balcony talking, and then met up again the next day." Giselle shot him a look. "She asked me out. I think she was pretty surprised the next day, but she did a good job of hiding it."

Laughing, Giselle corrected "I did not. I freaked out for like a solid minute."

"You did a marvelous job of not showing it, then. I only caught it in your eye for a moment, and then we were off to dinner."

"I've always had a thing for tall guys. I assure you, my giving in was completely shallow, and not at all my having already gotten over my own biases."

"Of course, my love. We went to a nice Italian place, and stayed there talking until they closed."

"Then we had another date the next day. I don't think either of us even asked, it just happened," Giselle added.

"It was so cute seeing you freak out about it the next day," Anna insisted, happy to no longer be the focus of attention. "You were still having some trouble getting past the goth thing, but you liked him so much already. You even asked me to try to talk you out of it."

"I did not!"

Anna smirked. "Of course not, I have no idea what I'm talking about."

Jack rose to his feet, towering over the sitting women. "I'm just happy she came around. I've got to go check on the roast and get started on the sides."

"Go along then, dear. Would you refill Anna's drink while you're at it?"

"Right away, my love."

Once Anna had her new drink, and Jack was back in the kitchen, Giselle kicked her legs up. "So, Elsa, Anna told me you just made partner, congrats."

"I was already partner, I just made equity, but thank you."

"Oh, sorry. I don't really know lawyer stuff. Working on any interesting cases?"

"Nothing too exciting, but I did just manage a merger between two pretty major companies."

"Well that's good." Giselle tapped a finger against her lip as she tried to consider her words. "Oh, how did you two meet? I don't think I ever heard."

"Back before I was famous," Tiana put a heavy emphasis on the last word, "I was catering for a party at her law firm and we just got to talking. I guess it wasn't too different from how you two met."

Giselle sipped at her drink. Anna was enjoying watching her fumble and had decided to let her awkwardly try a few more topics before she'd save the day.

"Oh, I left their present in the car," Tiana said suddenly. "Elsa, would you help me carry it?"

Elsa gave her a sidelong glance. "Yeah, fine, let's go."

They wandered out, and Giselle let out a quick sigh of relief. "I don't even know what to talk about with her," she whined. "She's kind of intimidating."

"Yeah, she definitely is."

Giselle plopped down next to Anna, putting her legs in her friend's lap and leaning her head against the armrest. "I'm glad I finally got to meet her. I know how important she is to you. I'm really glad she's back in your life."  
"Thank you. I'm glad too." Anna rested a hand on Giselle's ankle, her mind beginning to wander. Part of her wanted to tell Giselle about her internal struggle, but she knew it was crazy.  _I just need to keep this a secret until the day I die._

"You two seem really close. And you seem so much happier, though I'm sure Moana had something to do with that. So things are really good between you and Elsa again?"

"They are."

"I'm glad."

"I am too. I'm so in love with her – I love her so much."  _I did not just say that. I refuse to believe this is a possibility. I don't care how badly I wanted to tell her, that wouldn't have just slipped out. I imagined it – yep, that's the answer._ "She's just really great."

Giselle quirked her head at her, sitting back up. "What was that?"

"I love her, she's my sister, of course I do."

Anna had to turn her head to avoid the intensity of Giselle's gaze. "That's not what you said. Anna, whatever you're going through, I'm here for you. Did you really mean that?"

Anna felt herself nod before she had a chance to decide on how she'd respond.

"Oh. Anna," she placed her hand on her shoulder. "Tell me everything."

"Where can I even start?" Anna began.

"Well you've known her your entire life, so probably not at the beginning. How did this happen? Does she know? Are you going to tell her?"

Anna bit her lip.  _She's handling it way better than I thought she would, but I really was not ready to make this real._ "Giselle, just forget it, I'm talking crazy."  
"No. Tell me. Now."

Glaring at her, Anna relented. "It started a month ago, I think. I was trying to figure out why Elsa had been ignoring me for so long. I was really glad that we were talking again, but she refused to tell me what had happened before, and made it sound really serious, so I had to figure it out if I was going to make things work. I was talking to Nani about it, and I came to the realization that the only logical reason for her ignoring me was that she was in love with me, of course now I know it was the exact opposite, but it made sense at the time."

"What do you mean 'the exact opposite?"

"She'd resented me for running off to Portland instead of staying with her, but that's not important now, we've moved past it. But the point is, when she told me that, when I found out that it wasn't because she was in love with me, it broke my heart. It was all I could do not to start crying then and there, and I've just had to pretend that everything with her was fine, but I love her so much. I thought that she'd confess, and then I'd say it back, and we could figure things out, but instead, she'd just resented me. She hated me for hurting her. I don't know what to do, Giselle."

"Oh, honey." She pulled Anna into a hug. "It's okay, we'll figure this out."

"We will?"

"Yes, but not right now, when they're going to walk back in any second. I promise though, we will figure out what to do here. If there's any chance of her returning your feelings, I'll even make sure you two get together."

Anna pulled away to look into her friend's eyes, not quite willing to believe what she was hearing. "You can't promise that. It's more than enough that you're here for me to vent to. Besides, she's my sister, hell she might legally be my mother. I can't get together with her."

Giselle fixed her with a stony glare, quieting any further protests. "Do you love her?"

"You know I do."

"Then we'll figure this out. As long as she's not tricking you into this, then none of that matters. Besides, you're both in your thirties, it's not like there's much of a power dynamic anymore."  
Before Anna could respond to claim that she still worshiped her big sister, and that that certainly caused somewhat of an imbalance, the door opened, and Elsa and Tiana returned, carrying several things of alcohol. "Sorry, we didn't have the chance to wrap them," Tiana explained, offering two bottles of expensive wine "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I got you a white and a red."

Elsa offered two bottles of Balblair 1983. "We would've gotten you something a bit more personal but Anna just said to get booze."

Trying to conceal her renewed blush, Anna explained "I had so much trouble finding something to get you myself, especially when we're having a dinner party, that just seemed the safest bet."

Giselle giggled heartily, her eyes still on Anna. "I'm never one to say no to expensive wine. We'll finish this later."

"Oh, sorry, were we interrupting something?" Elsa asked.

"Nothing that can't wait."

Jack returned from the kitchen. "I'm pleased to announce that dinner is served. Won't you all come join me in the dining room? Oh, and bring those," he gestured towards the bottles of wine and scotch, "the Cabernet will go perfectly with the roast."

Elsa looked to Tiana who begrudgingly nodded her head. "It will."

They all seated themselves at the table, as Jack cut them slices of the roast.

"Wow, this actually looks really good," Tiana confessed, eyeing the food before them. The roast was visibly and olfactorily seasoned well, and the quick work of the knife showed how tender it was, the candied yams had a perfect glaze, the broccoli wasn't overdone, and the salad was fresh and crisp. "I've had professional chefs serve me worse."

Jack looked pleased by that. "I'm glad to hear that."

"I've always been quite happy with his cooking," Giselle added, placing a hand on his forearm.

"It looks very good," Elsa offered tentatively.

 _Is she really that scared to offend Tiana? She has seemed kind of easily offended of late. Is it because of me? No, that wouldn't make sense, she's been all into me – unless it's because Elsa called her out for her flirting with me? Aww, did a celebrity get jealous over me?_ Anna smiled slightly, helping herself to a thick slice of the roast and double helpings of the side.

Tiana did the same, and Elsa followed suit. After she took a bite of the roast, she gave an approving nod. "You could manage on my show, maybe teach a few of these neophites how to properly season their food. I know it's all the rage to say that meat should be able to stand on its own, but there's a reason spices have been so culturally and financially significant for millenia. They taste good."

"I'm glad you see it that way. I keep a rosemary bush growing in the window for that very reason."

"You really haven't read my cookbook or anything?" She still seemed utterly shocked by this notion. "I love rosemary. I use it and thyme in almost all of my cooking."

"I actually have a thyme bush growing in my garden," Jack replied, beaming proudly.

"I have my own back home, but I may have to steal some while I'm here, if you don't mind of course, Anna's kitchen is sadly bereft of any fresh spices."

"The powdered stuff is just as good," Anna insisted meekly.  _Am I really trying to fight with Tiana Rose about cooking?_

"At least she's cute," Tiana offered.

"She's very cute," Elsa agreed.

Anna's eyes widened and she saw Giselle give her a quick smirk. "What?"  
"Sorry, I was just joking." Elsa looked like she'd just caught her doing something rather inappropriate.  _It's kind of adorable._  "You're smart, Anna, obviously, and Tiana knows that too. I didn't mean to upset you."

 _She is so bad at reading my flustered reactions. I guess that's a good thing._  "No, it's okay. I shouldn't have been arguing with Tiana about cooking, I mean she's literally the greatest chef in the world. It'd be like trying to argue with you about the law. I don't know what I'm talking about."

Elsa's guilty look seemed to only grow. "You're still allowed your opinions. I think powdered spices are fine too. Even if she always throws them out of our cupboard."

"I threw them out because they had gone bad, since you never use them."

"Okay, that's true. Maybe we should move to the topic with the most experts in the room. I'm sure neither Tiana nor I can argue with you about teaching."

_Sure, if I had any idea what I was doing, that'd be true. Put me back in elementary school and I can teach your pants off – not that Elsa ever wears pants – stop thinking about taking Elsa's pants off – but I've been a complete wreck at teaching high school so far._

"I'm sure you're right, Anna is an amazing teacher," Giselle said, flashing another grin. "I actually sat in on her class once. I think I learned a few things, and I can't say that about most teachers."

"What do you teach, Giselle?" Tiana asked. "I know that the other sexy redhead is an English teacher, but I know so little about you."

Elsa elbowed her.

Giggling, Giselle replied, "I'm a biology teacher. Though I also run the LGBT club, and gave said sexy redhead some pamphlets on the subject when she first started questioning."

"Well I'm glad that our youth are in your capable hands. I certainly would have appreciated it when I was finding myself."

Elsa handed Tiana her wine glass. "Oh, Anna, you had mentioned that to me. Did you ever end up checking out any of the groups?"

"I didn't. I've just been so busy with everything else, and I apparently had enough other queer friends that it wasn't really necessary. Besides, I had you, Elsa. You were all I really needed. To help with figuring myself out I mean. Talking to you helped a lot."  _Stop thinking about bending her over this table. You'd get food all over her dress._

"I'm glad I was able to help you. I'm always here for you, whatever you need."

 _I don't think you're here for what I need._  "I know, Elsa. Thank you."

"Any time, seriously. We'll have to talk some when we go on our spa date." She beamed at Anna.

Anna on the other hand, swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.  _I forgot about that. Holy fuck, can I even handle that with her? I'm acting like a dog in heat, what if I do or say something stupid? What if my eyes wander too much? I know she just wants to spend time with me, and I want that too, but I had no idea this was going to be a such a big issue for me._ "Of course. I can't wait." Her chipper tone sounded far too forced, but it was the best she could do. _What am I going to do?_

Anna went through the rest of the meal, unable to focus on any of the conversation. She was quite certain that Elsa and Giselle had both noticed it, by the few glimpses she caught of them giving her puzzled looks, but Tiana seemed distracted by her new victim, and Jack seemed utterly oblivious. By the time they were driving away, Anna realized she'd missed half the dinner.


	19. Elsa - Sentimental Doesn't Suit Me

Elsa leaned back in her chair, sipping at a Long Island iced tea as her other hand received a manicure.  _It's been way too long since I did something like this. I needed it._  Anna, on the other hand, seemed even more tense than earlier. Elsa studied her sister as she sipped the drink. She'd barely said a word the entire day. She hadn't even met her eyes on the way there.  _I'd been so certain that this was what she needed, but maybe I was just projecting. Maybe I should get her another present, something more practical._ "Everything okay?" she asked again.

Anna nodded, her eyes trained solely on the woman performing her manicure. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

"You've just seemed really anxious."

"I'm just not used to leaving Olaf alone for so long," she insisted.

It didn't alleviate Elsa's doubts, but she dropped it. "Kristoff has him today anyway. Maybe the massages in a bit will help relax you a little more."

She was answered with another nod.

 _Did I say something wrong? She wasn't like this yesterday. Did I do something awful at the dinner party? I do have a bad track record with those. Maybe Giselle is mad at me and Anna is trying to resist talking to me about it?_ "I had a great time yesterday. It was nice finally meeting your friends. I'm happy to know that my sister is in good hands."

This seemed to relax her a little. Elsa chewed on her lip as she tried to work out the source of Anna's peculiar behavior. "I'm glad. Giselle seems to be really fond of you." She looked as if she was going to say more, but she promptly clamped her mouth shut and stared even harder at the manicurist.

 _So it is something about her._ "So I did make a good impression? I was worried, I'm not always the most likable person."

This was enough to draw Anna's gaze. A look resembling terror lit up her teal eyes as they met Elsa's. "You're an amazing person! Anyone that doesn't like you would have to be insane. They should be institutionalized. I don't know who would have told you something like that, but you need to know that you're absolutely wonderful, and that Tiana is lucky to have you. If only she acted like it."

Her gaze dropped again, leaving Elsa to grasp at her sister's words.  _What did she mean by that?_ "How does she not act like it?"  _Is that what's going through her mind? Did something happen with Tiana and she's been scared to bring it up to me?_ "You mean because she flirts so much. She's just playing around."

"It's more than that!" Anna almost screamed. The manicurist stopped mid-stroke to look up at her.

Elsa motioned her own away and turned to fully face her sister. "Give us a minute, girls."

Anna and Elsa were left alone in their bathrobes and recliners, Anna nervously sipping at her drink as she stared at her. Elsa could practically see her trying to work up the nerve to say whatever she needed to say.  _Something really did happen. Did Tiana make another move on her?_

"She's just so angry." That was not what Elsa had been expecting. "She doesn't act like she respects you at all. The way she treats you, I just hate to see anyone do that to you. I – no one should ever treat you like that."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elsa insisted. "She and I have always been pretty healthy. I know she can be a bit serious at times, but hell, she's probably the nicer between the two of us."

"That's certainly not what I've seen. I didn't want to say anything, I know it's not my place, but yesterday just really bothered me. She was being so awful." Anna rose from her chair, crossed the two feet to her sister, and folded her hands before her, beseeching her understanding.

"Anna, you have to be more specific. Do you have any examples? As far as I've seen, she's just been her normal self. A little more flirty than usual now that there are redheads everywhere, but I've never felt in any way mistreated by her. She loves me. Hell, I don't think anyone else has ever loved me as much as she does."

Anna visibly swallowed. "You really don't see it? The flirting is bad enough, but she snaps at you over every little thing, she belittles your opinions, she treats you like you're less than her. Hell, just look at how she acted when you got that fast food."

Elsa narrowed her eyes, shaking her head slowly. "I don't know what you're talking about. She definitely can go a bit overboard with her food sensibilities, but she's certainly not been cruel."

"She was treating you like an idiot!" Tears threatened to spill from Anna's eyes.  _This is for real. What is she seeing that I'm not?_

"Maybe you just don't know her well enough. I'm sure some people would see it that way, but she really isn't. She's just so passionate about food that she can come off as rather callous to anyone else's thoughts on that matter. She's a genius, they tend to all act like that."

"You're more of a genius than she could ever be."

Elsa set her drink down and stood to meet her sister, grasping her hands in an attempt to reassure her. "I promise, Tiana is doing nothing to mistreat me. She's been a little highstrung, but I think you're just misreading her. Maybe we could all talk about this."

Anna's eyes found hers again.  _And here I was freaking out because she wouldn't look at me._ "I just want to know that you're safe, that you're with someone who treats you well. Maybe I've just been being –" she hesitated, looking for words, "overprotective, but I want to make sure that everything is good for you. I love you, Elsa, you mean so much to me, and if you're sure that I'm wrong, then I must be, you know her better than I do, just promise me you won't let her take advantage of you."

"You don't have anything to worry about."

"Please just promise."

Elsa sighed. "Okay, Anna. I promise. Now, since we've addressed what was weighing on your mind, can we please just enjoy our spa day together?"

Anna continued to search her eyes for a few moments before she must have found something that satisfied her and she nodded. "All right. I'm sure it's nothing, let's just get all pampered and pretty."

Elsa searched back, desperate for a hint that she'd actually convinced Anna of her safety with Tiana. She still saw exactly what she'd seen in so many witnesses – she was hiding something.  _Unfortunately, I was the one to insist that we drop it, so I can hardly keep digging. But I have time, maybe she'll let something slip before long. She never was too great at keeping secrets from me._

Rather than relive how she had discovered Anna's initial relationship with Kristoff, Elsa drained the rest of her drink, threw herself into her chair, and called for the staff. Kristoff was as much in the past as he could ever be, and she would not let him darken their day.

As the manicurists resumed work on their nails, Elsa began to relax again.  _Maybe Tiana has been a little weird of late, but I know Anna is overreacting and hopefully now that she's said her piece she'll be able to relax and enjoy this._ Glancing over to her sister, Elsa's hopes were realized. Anna looked substantially more content than she had before their chat. "I'm really glad I can share this with you. We never really did any of this bonding stuff we should have done when we were younger. It just feels great to finally get to relax with you."

Another glance revealed that Anna's face had colored. Elsa simply could not wrap her head around her little sister's behavior of late.  _She insists that I haven't done anything, and that it's not about my confession, so what is going on? Is she just handling the divorce worse than she acts like she is? I know that it can be difficult, no matter how necessary it may be. I've seen plenty of clients go through it before. Even starting to resent me for it. But I wasn't her attorney! Elizabeth was. So why would she be taking that out on me? I at least hope that she's not starting to regret it._ Elsa forced the words out before she could second guess them. It was almost certainly a stupid question, but she needed to assuage her fears. "You are still glad you got the divorce right? It really was the best choice."

Anna blinked at her, the color draining from her face. "Of course! What are you talking about? We had already been over for years."

Swallowing, Elsa decided to accept her sister at her word.  _Just drop it. You can grill her later, you're at a spa, and the only one making things awkward is you._  "I'm glad. I just never want to even indirectly be the cause of any pain for you."

Anna took a sip of her mojito, her smile slowly regaining its hold upon her face.  _Maybe it is all in my head. Just like Tiana's behavior is in Anna's. We just want something to be wrong, because we're not used to the alternative._  "Thank you, Elsa. I know, but it still means a lot to me to hear it. I think I kind of needed that."

 _Ouch._ "I promise, Anna. You'll always come first for me. Even over Tiana, you're my baby sister, and I'm never going to let you think that I don't care again. Hell, if I had just made it clear in the first place, we wouldn't have had that falling out - though that part was also my fault."  _Wow, all that time telling my clients to never admit fault and here I am owning up to everything._

Elsa's manicurist set down the bottle of polish to examine her work. Anna's wasn't quite there yet. Despite this, Anna waved her aside again, dabbing the heel of her hand at her eye.

 _Maybe sentimental doesn't suit me. I just upset her more._ Elsa started to rise, not quite certain what she was planning. "Anna, wait."

"No, it's nothing. I just have to pee."

 _Does that normally make you cry?_  Elsa resisted asking. She wasn't sure what was going on with her sister, but clearly pushing wasn't helping.  _At least I can be pretty confident that Moana hasn't knocked her up._

Her nails were dry by the time Anna had returned, her eyes red and puffy despite the water she'd clearly splashed on her face.  _She'll tell you when she's ready._  Elsa remained silent as the manicurist finished Anna's nails.

Fortunately, the massage seemed to relax both of them. In their mud baths following their massages, Elsa caught Anna beaming at her, conjuring a responding grin. She had missed her sister so very much, this was exactly what they both needed.

"I love you," Anna said suddenly. It was the first thing she'd said to her in at least an hour.

"I love you too."

Anna bit her bottom lip before sinking under the mud. Elsa watched her, but no more words were said. Anna's thoughts were her own, and they'd stay that way.

And they did for the rest of the night. She at least didn't seem to be upset with Elsa, but she was remaining tight lipped on whatever was on her mind, and clearly Elsa's guessing game was only making matters worse.

Elsa relayed precisely that to Tiana as they lay in bed that night, Elsa desperately trying to distract herself from the problem that had been eating at her all day.

"You've just got to let her have her space," Tiana reasoned, as if Elsa had not already come to that conclusion half a dozen times.

"I know," she grumbled. "I just hate this. She's finally back in my life and I can't get her to open up to me. I was worried that it might have been about you at first."

"Was it?"

Elsa considered lying, but she owed it to Anna to at least make sure that her suspicions were incorrect. "Partly," she admitted.

Tiana stared at her, unblinking, willing elaboration forth from her girlfriend.

"She seemed to be worried that you were -" she hesitated, searching for a way to phrase it that didn't include the words 'abusive,' 'mean,' or 'bitchy.' "Well that you seemed to be very quick to anger of late. I insisted that that wasn't the case, and she dropped it, but it definitely seemed to be on her mind."

Tiana's eyes narrowed. "Does your little sister think I'm abusive?"

"Don't hit me."

Tiana slapped her shoulder. "Clearly she's right. I hope you're planning on fleeing from your dreadful partner immediately."

"As soon as she finishes satisfying me."

The glare opened into a look of feigned innocence and surprise. "Oh? I wasn't aware I had started."

"Well then perhaps you should remedy that."

So she did. Elsa quickly followed suit, and the serious discussion that Elsa had intended to start was momentarily waylaid by matters that seemed far more pressing.

Afterward, as they lay atop each other, spent and glistening with sweat, Elsa did the unthinkable – she resumed their prior conversation. "She is wrong, right?"

"How many orgasms do I have to give you before you drop this?" Her hand snaked back to Elsa's thigh.  _That's a strange way to show offense._

"I know you're not abusive, that wasn't what I meant. Sorry, you may have fucked my brain out a bit. But is everything okay with us? Has she been picking up on some underlying issue that I have been too distracted to notice? You know you can tell me anything."

Tiana threw her head back onto the pillow, her hand falling away, as she let out a long breath. "Is it awful if I say yes?"

"Of course not," Elsa insisted, bolting upright to look down at her partner, the sex-induced fog and exhaustion having all but vanished.

"I'm not mad at you – at least I don't have any right to be – hell, you have more than adequate reason to be mad at me as much skirt as I've been chasing lately." She paused, visibly chewing on her words. "I'm just a bit jealous."

Elsa quirked her head. Tiana's words didn't make the slightest bit of sense. "I wouldn't be mad at you for that – what do you have to be jealous of? You mean that girl at the bar? Nothing happened."

Her eyebrows knit together at that reminder. Clearly that was not the present issue, though it may still be another one. "No. Not her." She finally forced her confession out. "Anna. I'm jealous of your sister – I know it's absolutely insane, but for so long you've just been all mine, then Anya came back, and Anna, and it's just all such a big change. We've both barely ever spent time with anyone else. I'd hate to say we were co-dependent, as independent as we are, but part of that was because we only needed each other."

Elsa searched for any sort of response and found herself wanting.  _She never felt like that in the courtroom and yet every woman in her life seemed to leave her wordless of late._ "Tiana –"

"No, forget it. Like I already said, I know I'm just being crazy. It feels a little better that you know, at least. Just make sure you still make some time for me, or else I might just try out that abusive thing."

Elsa playfully rubbed her shoulder where Tiana had slapped her, prompting another on the other side. "I will. Now let's just hope you can stay in the country long enough at a time to provide me with the same."

"I'll consider it," she replied coldly, rolling over to go to sleep.

 _And back in the doghouse I go. When will I ever learn to shut up?_ She loosely wrapped an arm around her girlfriend, and was pleased to find that it wasn't knocked aside. Thoughts of the day's insanity with Anna and Tiana raced through her head, but sleep eventually chased them off, and she joined her beloved in a peaceful slumber.

The next morning, Elsa crept downstairs in her bathrobe, expecting the rest of the house to still be asleep, to find Anna making pancakes.

"Good morning," Anna remarked cheerily. Elsa was not awake enough for her sister's new demeanor.

"Coffee?" she replied.

With a giggle, Anna grabbed the still steaming coffee pot and poured a cup for her, along with a more than adequate helping of sugar. Elsa didn't tend to bother with it herself, but she was hardly going to complain.  _Besides, Anna drowning everything in sugar at least proves it's still her, despite the sudden change._

She even met Elsa's gaze as she handed her a heaping pile of hotcakes. Whatever was going through her head last night, she seemed to have gained a handle on it.  _Or she's faking it well enough._ Elsa was still worried about her, but she'd let Anna come to her when she was ready.

Her secret stayed her own, as the remaining week continued on. Elsa didn't catch any more strange behavior from her sister, save for a single incident on New Year's Eve.

Olaf had been returned a few days prior, and had spent the intervening time absorbed into his new PS4. Anna had to practically drag him away from it to join them for their celebrations. Only the enticing opportunity to smash pans together was enough to prevent his immediate retreat.

"I think your present may have been a bit too good," Anna insisted, glaring up at her.

"Well you said no fireworks, so I had to get him something special." Elsa leaned back in the couch, sipping at eggnog, as she tried to decide how serious Anna's anger may be.

"I told you that after."

"Then I bought it because I had to win his love."

A smile began to form on Anna's lips.  _Not that angry then._  "And just what are you doing to buy my love?"

"The spa day wasn't enough?"

Anna slid closer to her on the couch, her voice a faint whisper in Elsa's ear. Her own glass was empty. "It's a start. Can you think of anything more?"

Elsa finally met her eyes. She couldn't begin to unravel whatever strange workings were winding their way through that ginger head of hers. "Tell me. I failed as a sister and as a parent. What can I do to make it up to you?"  _Lay my cards on the table and maybe she'll actually explain herself._

Anna blinked and turned away. She stood, picking up her glass and taking it to the sink. "I think I've had a bit too much to drink."

"You've had like three glasses, am I to believe that you're suddenly a light weight? You certainly weren't when we were kids." She swirled the remaining eggnog left in her glass, weighing the decision to refill it.

"At all drunk is too drunk when you're a single mother."

Now that, Elsa couldn't argue with. She conceded the point, and decided against that third drink for herself.

Tiana sat on the footrest with Olaf, both staring at the TV as the ball in Time's Square shimmered on the screen. It was just past eight PM, but Anna was not about to let Olaf stay up until midnight, so she had told him that he could begin making noise at nine.  _Hey, it's midnight for me._  "Lilo would love this," he cheered, turning away from the screen for only a moment to face his mother.

Nani had called earlier offering to pawn Lilo off onto Anna for the night for this very reason. "I'm sure she's doing it at her place too."

"It's just not the same without her," he whined, focusing on the screen yet again, his ladle held ready over a pot, despite the intervening forty minutes.

It was hardly Elsa or Tiana's usual New Year's Eve plans. Granted, they had both been asleep long before midnight last year, but not too long ago they would be at actual parties, drinking far more than the meager helpings they'd had that day, watching fireworks, or out in the country with some friends – Tiana's friends, at least, Elsa had been avoiding that particular vice.

It was nice. Though Elsa had already found her mind drifting to the mountain of cases she had no doubt were piling up and waiting for her back home. She wished that it was an imposing specter, making her value her time with her sister all the more, but she had to admit that she missed it. The last time she'd stood in a court room, she'd only been in the audience for Anna's divorce. She needed to feel the thrill that comes with facing the jury and arguing her case. She needed to feel the rush of power from imposing her own distortion of the facts over any other. She loved her job, and this was the longest vacation she'd taken since she'd started, and it was beginning to hurt.

She helped herself to one of Tiana's popcorn balls as the final minutes began to tick down. Anna and Tiana had traded places, Anna's own pot sitting on her lap as she eagerly awaited celebrating with her son.

Tiana wrapped an arm around Elsa, pulling her close. Elsa finished off the snack as the audience announced "TEN!"

Wiping an errant crumb from her lips, Tiana pulled her closer, barely an inch from her own lips.

"ONE!" sounded, and their lips met. Elsa felt arms envelop her as she was pulled ever deeper into her partner's embrace, lips parting and tongues meeting. Pot and pans rang near them. Elsa couldn't help but think of those old cartoons where fireworks were used in place of sex.

When the kiss finally broke, Elsa found that Anna and Olaf had fled. The pans still sounded upstairs, and cheers still rang from the TV. "Happy New Year," Tiana announced, before she pulled Elsa back into another kiss.


	20. Anna - Elsa, Come Get Your Kid

Anna watched as the plane pulled away. She wished she'd had the courage to tell her, but she knew it was better this way.  _Elsa has Tiana, she doesn't want me_. She let out a breath and shed more tears. Only a few minutes earlier, she'd been holding her sister tight as they both sobbed. She could scarcely believe she was gone. The two weeks had passed too quickly.

Olaf stared up at her, not quite comprehending his mother's tears. That was also for the best. "She'll be back, Mama."

Pulling her son into a hug, she nodded. "I know she will."

He looked up at her, unable to pull free from her grip. "Think she'll train Lilo and me more?"

"Would you like that?"

Olaf lit up, his beaming face bringing a sniffling halt to Anna's tears. "I would love it! I can't wait to see Aunt Elsa again."

"Me too," Anna admitted. "Me too."

Anna threw herself into a stool in Nani's kitchen, the steaming cup of hot chocolate taunting her with its undrinkableness. Lilo and Olaf could be heard swashbuckling in the other room. "You were right," she sighed, her eyes never leaving the mug in front of her.

"Of course I was," Nani agreed. "What was I right about this time?"

"She wasn't in love with me."

"Moana? I know lesbians move fast, but I think it's a bit early to say that."

Anna shook her head. "No. Elsa."

Nani paused, staring at her friend, and took the seat next to her. "Are you still on about that? I thought we'd already put it to bed."

 _Not quite what I was hoping to put to bed_. "I really thought I was right."

"Aren't you glad? This means you can go back to just being sisters. You finally have her back in your life and nothing is keeping you from each other."

"That's not true," Anna said, her voice numb.  _I can't say it. Not to Nani. She'll never forgive me._ Her tongue unfortunately was not numb enough for the cocoa not to scold it.

Nani gave her a quick disapproving look.  _She really is my second – third mother._ "How is that not true? You can't just be sisters now? Something is keeping you apart? What, the distance? That's nothing, you can talk all the time. This is exactly what you needed. Seriously, Anna, this is great for you."

Anna bit her lip. It was now or never. "I love her."  _Well that's it. She knows. Our friendship is over._

Nani pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing. She stared at her friend, not saying a word.

Finally, she rose and grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured a glass of it. "Tell me everything."

So she did. Anna explained how much she'd been thinking about it since their last discussion, how her feelings bubbled up, and what Elsa had said instead of confessing the feelings she'd expected. "I've been losing my mind. I could barely even be alone in a room with her for a few days and then on New Years when I saw her kissing Tiana it was just too much for me. How can I be so jealous of my sister's girlfriend? I don't even know what I'm doing."

Nani drained the glass and poured another one before offering some to Anna. "Have you considered therapy? I could recommend a good therapist."

"I can't afford that right now, and I don't want to anyway. There's nothing wrong with how I feel – or maybe there is, but it doesn't feel wrong. And I'm not doing anything about it anyway. Besides, I have Moana."

"Are you going to be wishing you were with Elsa the entire time you're with her?"

"No, of course not! I really like Moana, and I think she could be really good for me. I want to be with her."

"But you love Elsa." Nani took a sip of her whiskey and looked at it ponderingly, as if trying to decide if she should drain this one too.  _I haven't seen her make that look since college._

"I do. But she's with someone else, and I'll be okay."

"Anna, whatever you do, just promise me that you won't hurt Moana. I know she seems strong, but you weren't there when her last relationship ended. I don't want to have to put the pieces back together again. If you're not able to commit to her, please don't start things."

The stool slid back as Anna leapt to her feet. "I can commit to her just fine, thank you. We're both adults, we can make our own decisions."

Nani didn't move from her spot. "I'm just worried about you two."

"Well you don't need to be." Anna stormed down the hall to go grab her son, fully aware of exactly how childish her tantrum looked.  _I'm not doing anything wrong. She doesn't have to judge me like that._

She felt a hand on her wrist and turned to find that Nani had pursued her. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not your mother." Anna could see how badly Nani wanted to add 'But Elsa is.' She appreciated her discretion. "I know you'll be good to her. I shouldn't have acted like that."

"I will be good to her." She managed to keep the snarl from creeping into her voice. As much as she appreciated Nani's maternal nature, sometimes it was just too much. "I really like her."

"I know you do."

She coaxed Anna back to the kitchen, where her hot chocolate awaited her, cooled down enough to drink.  _I'd hate to interrupt Olaf's play date, anyway._

* * *

Anna had been dreading this all week. She'd managed to avoid it the day before and just gone home to work on her lesson plans now that classes were about to be starting up again, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to face Giselle. She'd been even more excited by the prospect of Elsa and Anna getting together than Anna had been.

Olaf sat next to her in a high chair.  _I should just wait for when he's at Kristoff's. That's reasonable, right?_ Before she had the chance to reconsider, her friend sat down across from her.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Giselle said, setting her purse in the chair with Anna's. "Jack was all tied up."

Anna gave Giselle a quick sneer for the flippant remark before glancing at Olaf. He remained adequately oblivious. The remark had passed over his head. "It's okay, " she allowed, handing a few dollars worth of quarters to her son.

"I can go play now?" She couldn't understand why he was so excited about it, none of the available machines would hold a candle to his PS4, but she was grateful for the distraction.

"Of course, dear. Just don't leave my sight." She had made sure to grab a table right next to the little arcade.  _Not that he's ever run off without Lilo leading the way._

She didn't need to tell him twice. He was already shoving coins into a machine that he had to stand on his tiptoes to see.

"How've you been?" Giselle asked, concern more than clear in her voice.  _I guess she was expecting this. Thanks for the vote of confidence._

"I've been okay," Anna lied. "Elsa is back home with Tiana."  _Here comes the tough part._ "And I've decided to just stick with Moana. She could be really good for me, and Elsa clearly doesn't want me."

The concern grew into something resembling panic. Giselle leaned towards her, her voice scarcely more than a whisper. "Are you sure? Did she say something? I really think Elsa might feel something too."

Anna shook her head. "She doesn't."

"How can you know unless you ask?"

"Giselle, I can't put myself through this. No, I can't put her through this. It was one thing when I thought she wasn't happy with Tiana, but I was just fooling myself."

"Are you kidding? That girl would sleep with anything that moves. She's not good enough for Elsa."  _I so desperately want to agree._

"I can't. If something changes then maybe, but I think I could have something really special with Moana and I'm not willing to jeopardize that. If Elsa and I are ever both single then maybe I'll reconsider, but for now this is the only option."

"Anna -" Her eyes were starting to tear up. Anna found that hers were doing the same.  _This was a bad idea._

She shook her head again. "I'm sorry, I know how badly you wanted this."

Giselle stopped, eyeing her askance. "Anna, I just know that you wanted it. After how much you pushed me when I was having doubts with Jack, how could I do any less? She's perfect for you."

"Maybe she will be someday, but she's not right now. Moana is, and she's who I'm going to be with. I mean, as long as things keep going that way. I think they will. She seems to really like me, but I can't just decide that we're dating."  _If I could, then I'd be able to do that with Elsa._

"You're right. I'm sorry. Just know that whatever happens, I'll be here to support you. I love you, Anna."

Wiping away tears, Anna was surprised to find that she was smiling. Neither of her friends had freaked out at her for her confessions. She had the two best best friends in the world. "I know you will be. I love you too. Thank you so much."

Olaf ran up to her. "I'm out of quarters."

 _We may need a bit more adult time, I suppose it's worth the expense._ Before she could react, Giselle handed him a five. "Go beat up a bunch of zombies for me, kid."

"But I'm fighting aliens."

"I guess that's acceptable, but you have to beat up twice as many for me then."

"I'll try, Aunt Giselle."

She released the money and Olaf promptly ran back to the machine he'd been feeding all those quarters into. "I believe in you," she said, her tone deadly serious.

"So, back to you," Anna stated, more than eager to divert the conversation away from her and onto a far juicier subject.

Giselle turned back to her. "Oh?"

"Sounds like you and Jack have been having fun."

"What gave it away?" Her twinkling grin more than gave it away.

"Everything. Now talk. After my heartbreak I need to live vicariously through you."

She knew full well that there was no way Giselle could resist that. "Your heartbreak? You have some new hot girl you're dating."

Anna held a hand over her heart. "I was REALLY set on Elsa," she insisted.

Rolling her eyes, Giselle conceded. "What do you want to know? You sure you even want to live vicariously through a straight relationship?"  
"Jack's very pretty, I'll just pretend he's a girl."

This managed to prompt a giggle. "It's so weird thinking of you like this. You've been gay for like a month."

"At least two! I mean forever. I was always gay."

"Anna –"

Anna cut her off. "I'm still new to it, and I don't know why I never seemed to be attracted to anyone before, maybe I was just in denial, but I think I was always gay."

"I know." Giselle rested a hand on hers and Anna resisted making a joke about her making a move on her. "I was just going to apologize for my phrasing. I know it's not anything you chose, I just wasn't thinking."

"It's okay. I'm just really throwing myself into this."

"Head first, I'd say."

Anna slapped her hand.  
"I deserved that. But to answer that question from an eon ago, there's not really anything new with Jack."

"Don't give me that." Her glare caused Giselle's playful grin to falter. "I saw that collar."

Pouring her iced tea down her throat to avoid Anna's eyes, Giselle managed to maintain her composure. "I didn't think you'd know what it was."

"After everything Jack was getting you into, I looked a few things up."

"Anna, you had to go to me for info on your own sexuality, you're telling me that you were able to just look up info on mine?"

Anna blinked.  _That was new. Last time we talked about this she was freaking out and wondering if she could even handle it, now it's 'her sexuality.'_

"I told you I ended up liking it."

"I didn't realize you meant you liked it that much!" Glancing around to make sure Olaf couldn't overhear them, she leaned in toward her friend. "What's it like?" she whispered.

Giselle blushed.  _Glad to see she's not totally depraved already._ "I love it. It was so scary the first time, but it makes me feel so powerful, and the look of utter worship in his eyes," she paused, likely for emphasis, "let's just say it has quite an effect on me. I would definitely say this is a major part of who I am now. I can't imagine being in a relationship without this aspect anymore."

"Olaf didn't see anything when you babysat him, right?"

Anna regretted her words the second she saw the hurt in Giselle's eyes. "You were there, you know we don't run around flaunting it. How could you even ask me that?" Her whisper was almost a snarl. "I love Olaf, you know I would never do anything that could hurt him. What, do you think I'd just shove a tail in Jack and ride him through the house? That was fucking cruel, Anna."

 _She's right. Here I am, accusing her of that, when I'd just been mad at her for a slight slipup with my identity. Wow am I ever a hypocrite._ "I'm sorry."

"And especially coming from you. You know exactly what it's like to have who you are treated as some horrible thing."

 _I really don't. I've never been discriminated against. I only had a girlfriend for like a week._ "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I know you wouldn't do anything in front of him, and I know that you'd never hurt him. Giselle, please forgive me. I didn't mean anything by it."

She chewed on her lip, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she stared into Anna's. "I know. I just need you to know that you can trust me with him."

"I do trust you with him. I don't know what I'd do without you. Hell, if I hadn't had you to watch Olaf for me that night, I never would have been able to find out that I really was a lesbian."

She rolled her eyes, but the tears seemed to have vanished. "You would've just dropped him off with Nani."

 _Probably not the best time to say that she was busy._ "You're family, Giselle."

"Then you really might try to date me."

Anna studied her, trying to judge whether that was meant as an attack or a joke. _I thought she was so supportive, is that how she really feels?_

"I'm sorry. Maybe I'm still a little upset with you. That was a really tone deaf joke, I take it back. Your sister is way hotter than me anyway."

 _Can't argue with her there._ "I've moved on. I'm focusing on Moana."

"Are you reminding me or yourself?" Giselle squeezed her hand gently. "I'll be here to support you, if anything ever does happen with Elsa. Now then, how about you tell me some more about this Moana girl. You've said that you kissed her, that she's a pilot, and that she bought you pulled pork, that was about it."

"Well we've never even had an official date. We were trying to just be friends. We are only finally going to start dating for real when she gets back to town next week." It was a hard fought battle, but Moana managed to take over the area of her brain that had, for the last few weeks, been devoted to obsessing over her sister. The thought of seeing the sexy pilot next week brought a smile to her face.  _She really is perfect for me._  "She's really cool. She's younger than me by a few years, but she's super responsible, she looks amazing in a suit, and I think she's a lot like me. Maybe she's basically what I'd be if I had figured myself out earlier."

"That sounds awfully Narcissistic of you." She smirked.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Clearly you have a type."

"Elsa isn't like me," Anna insisted, fully cognizant of the fact that she was only proving Giselle's point.

"Well then I'm glad you at least managed to find someone as awesome as you."

Anna couldn't help but grin at that.  _Does she really think I'm as cool as Moana is?_

"And I'll be there to talk you through whatever you need." Giselle's hand found its place on Anna's again.  _I swear, she holds my hand more often than any girl I've ever dated – not that that's a long list._

"I know. Thank you again for talking me down when I was freaking out on that spa date – sister thing, not a date.."  
Giselle proved just how good of a friend she was by managing to stifle her giggle. "What're friends for?"

Olaf climbed into the seat next to Anna. "I'm out of quarters again."

"Well I'm sure the pizzas are almost done." Anna hugged her boy to her.  _Please say he didn't hear anything about Elsa, please say he didn't hear anything about Elsa._

"But I want to play more."  _I swear, he has my pout._

"I will give you one more dollar, and then you have to come sit with us."

Three dollars later, their pizzas arrived.

Tucking Olaf into bed, Anna decided that she couldn't put it off any longer. She needed to talk to him about the divorce. He hadn't said much about it, and no matter how mature he frequently acted, that was very concerning.  _There is no way that our divorce hasn't affected him. I told myself that I wanted to give him time to adjust a bit, and to wait until Elsa was gone, but I know I've just been being a coward. I had told him it was happening and that was about it. I was too scared to do anything more, and that was so selfish. I need to be a better mother than this, he's my first priority and I need to act like it._ "How have you been doing with everything?"  _Yeah, that's way less cowardly. Why don't you just ask him about the weather?_

"Lilo and I beat Kirby earlier. It was really fun!"

"I'm really proud of you. I always loved Kirby."

"You should play it with us!"

Beaming, Anna nodded. "I would love to."

"Lilo gets to be Kirby though."

"We can't take turns?"

"No, she likes to eat people."

 _She'd been being so much better about not biting! This is only going to make her worse._  "Well you're a very good sharer for letting her be him then."

"I don't mind. It's fun either way, and I can be him in the other games."

 _But Kirby is the cutest!_  "Well I can't wait to fight Kind Dedede with you two."

"We can take him!"

 _Now how do I segue from Kirby to divorce? 'You know how Metaknight and King Dedede don't always work together? Well it's kind like that.' Do they usually work together or are they just both antagonists? I don't know Kirby well enough for this conversation._  She sat down on the bed next to her son. He nuzzled against her hip, resting his head there.  _At least he doesn't hate me for it._  "How're you liking going over to your dad's?"  _Wow, I actually said something in the right direction._

Olaf quirked his head, turning to look up at her. He was clearly onto her.  _That kid is too smart. He doesn't get it from me – or his father for that matter. Elsa, come get your kid!_  "I like it. It's a lot better than when he was still living here."

Anna's jaw dropped.  _What_? "How is it better?" She tried to keep the shock from her voice, she didn't want to worry Olaf.

"Well you two were always so sad. It made you a lot less fun. Now he always wants to play with me, and you two smile a lot more. I don't have to see you crying all the time now."  _He saw that? I thought I had managed to hide it from him better than that. Wait, have I not been crying that much now?_ "People say it should be a big scary thing, but it isn't really. It's just like before, only now you don't have your own bedrooms, you have your own houses."  _Way too smart._

She kissed the top of his head. "Thank you, Olaf."

"For what?" He looked up at her, a quizzical look on his cherubic little face.

"For being you. You're the best son a mother could ask for."

"Does that mean I can have an Xbox One?"  
"Nice try."

"Darn." He tried her pout.

"Ask your Aunt Elsa. Ask her for a new car for me while you're at it."  
"Okay!" The genuineness of his grin was a little concerning. Anna began to wonder how much she could get for her old car if he actually came through.  _Might at least cover the mortgage for a couple months. God knows I could use the help._  "Are you gonna let me meet Aunt Moana soon?"

Anna froze.  _I should've known this had been too easy._   _Why is every conversation with him never about what I think it's going to be about? Kids shouldn't be this complex._  "She's not your aunt."

"Then is she going to be my stepmom?"

 _Can't he just go to sleep?_  "I don't know yet, Olaf. It's still really early. I do really like her though. Besides, haven't you already met her.

He shook his head. "That doesn't count! You weren't dating then."

"All right, fine, then would you like to meet her when she's in town?"

He nodded, his enthusiasm lifting up back into a sitting position, his face barely a foot from her as he beamed up, far too excited for the prospect of meeting the woman his mother was dating. "Yeah I would!"

 _I wonder how she gets along with kids._ "All right, I'll ask her. She does need to meet the most important person in my life if she's going to be in it after all."

"Promise I'm more important?"

Pulling him into a tight hug, Anna nodded. "You'll always be the most important, kiddo. You do know that, right?"

"I know, Mama." He struggled to free himself from the hug, but Anna held fast. "Will you read me a bedtime story?"

"Sure thing. What would you like me to read?"

"How about the mouse book?" Olaf asked.

Anna stood, finally releasing Olaf, and walked over to his little book stand, thumbing past a few strategy guides, Charlotte's Web, her old Harry Potter collection, and enough picture books to bury Sven under – she could say this from experience – to grab The Puzzling Case of the Pleasingly Plump Mouse at Penny's House. She sat back at the head of Olaf's bed and he lay his head back in her lap. Idly sweeping a hand through his hair, she began to read. When she finished the story, she found that he was softly snoring. Not wanting to disturb him, Anna leaned back against the headrest, closed her eyes, and joined her son in slumber.


	21. Elsa - Why Did I Hate Her Again?

Elsa twirled her pen, the inlaid gold catching the light from her desk lamp, as she looked over the towering stack of manila envelopes on her desk. She was more than capable of pushing her work onto associates, but she was determined to prove to her new equals that her promotion was not simply due to her strange new friendship with Gaston.  _I know I've proven myself more than enough times already, but I just took two weeks off_ _right_ _after getting a promotion, and I'll be damned if I let them think I was running away from a challenge_.

She was, of course, fully aware of how silly this sounded. She'd been there for almost eight years now, and had made her skill and dedication abundantly clear. The only rumors running around were about her and Tiana, and that was precisely the problem. She liked having a conflict to deal with, she loved competing with her coworkers - it had been the entirety of her friendship with Anastasia after they broke up - but now, everything she'd wanted was hers. She had her dream job, her dream girl, and her dream life. She'd even reconnected with her sister. All that was left was to get her name on the wall, but given the rate she'd managed everything else, even that wouldn't take much longer.  _I need a challenge!_

Fortunately for her, the fourth envelope in the pile offered her just what she needed – an unwinnable case. She flipped through it, studying the facts. There wasn't an ounce of information in her favor. Kuzco jr had only been released from jail three weeks before his arrest, and no lawyer on Earth could prevent him from going back for at least a decade. She had something to prove and now she had a way to do it.

Forcing her grin out of her voice, she called her client. Kuzco Sr. answered on the second ring. "You're finally back!" He sounded frantic, exhausted, and more than a little relieved.  _Has he slept at all the last three days? You'd think he'd be used to this by now. The kid gets arrested almost once a month._ "Ms. de Ville offered to take the case off your hands, but there's no one else I'd trust with this. Please say you're still taking it. He messed up, but you know he's a good kid at heart. He didn't mean to hurt anyone."

"He killed the guy he was robbing."

"It was self defense!" he wailed.  _It's weird_ _hear_ _ing him like this. What happened to that beleaguered good humor with which he always handled his son_ _'_ _s various crimes?_

"The law isn't on his side there. Self defense doesn't apply when you're the one instigating it."

"So you're saying you can't win? Isn't there anything you can do?"

The grin she'd been hiding shifted into a smirk. This really was exactly what she needed. "I didn't say I couldn't win it."

"But you said –"

Her mind was racing, trying to think of any case law that she could apply. New York wasn't anywhere near as bad as some states were for this, but it was hardly going to make things easy.  _At least it's not Texas._  "I'm going to need to meet with my client. I'll see what I can do."

"Ms. Agnarrsen, please. I need you to win this. My son can't survive in prison."

 _Clearly he can._  "I'll do everything I can, Mr. Kuzco. You have my word."

"Thank you."

With that, he hung up, and Elsa was left staring at the case file, trying to wrap her head around what she could possibly argue.  _That's wh_ _y_ _G_ _od made associates and paralegals._ She had gotten him out of some pretty impossible cases before, but this one put a whole new meaning to unwinnable.  _At least he testifies well, who'd want to convict that idiot?_

Elsa left her office to go wrangle a few associates into doing some research for her, as this case was clearly going to need it.  _Where is Belle? I could really use her._

She didn't see her anywhere in the hallways or in the break room. Downstairs, she found Belle's cubicle empty. Her tedious little knickknacks were missing, as was the framed picture of her and Anastasia, and even the monitor was gone.  _What the_ _h_ _ell?_

She turned to the nearest associate, who was only four feet away, "Where's Belle?"

She shrugged. That was not terribly helpful.

Fortunately the guy on the other side of Belle's cubicle was eavesdropping.  _We clearly do not give them enough work, I'll have to see to correcting that._  "She quit," he explained.

Elsa paused.  _It's not like I hadn't been saying that she should since day one, but why now of all times? I was_ _finally_ _starting to like her._

She gave the two associates - whose names she still hadn't learned - the task she'd come to give Belle, and returned to her office.  _I can't believe I'm saying this, but they won't do anywhere near as good of a job as she would have. I haven't seen another associate who could navigate our law library quite like she could._

Anya answered on the fourth ring. "Elsa? What's up? I'm at work, but I could meet for lunch if you wanted to."

That actually wasn't a bad idea. She hadn't eaten yet, and having some food in her before she had to visit the jail seemed ideal. "Sure, Oaken's at eleven?"

She could hear some papers shuffling on the other end of the phone. "Does 10:45 work? I have a meeting with a client at 11:30?"

 _Glad to see her firm's keeping busy._  Elsa paused for a moment to consider that. It was the first time since it had happened that she'd been at all okay with her friend's departure, let alone happy for her.  _Maybe Anna's right about me after all._  "10:45 is perfect."

"Great, see you then." She hung up.

_Shit. I forgot to actually ask about Belle! I guess I'll just do that over lunch._

Thumbing through the rest of her desk's contents of files, she found another handful of cases that all seemed pretty easy. There was nothing anywhere near as interesting as Kuzco's latest debacle. Though, looking at the Menendez case, she was rather relieved that it had fallen to her. The associate that had been working on it had managed to thoroughly screw it up.  _I'll have to have a word with Gaston about this_ _._ She glanced back at the paper, she'd already forgotten the attorney's name.  _Rufio is certainly not going to last long here if this is the normal quality of his work._

She called up the head of Agrabian Dynamics. She had time to kill and needed to earn some billables. "Hi, Mr. Iago? This is Ms. Agnarrsen of Gaston, Phillip, & de Ville. I think you may want to have another look at this case before I go have a chat with your lawyer."  _What's the point in violating legal ethics without_ _a good implied threat_ _?_

"Ms. Agnarrsen? What happened to Mr. Basco? I'm sure you're new, so why don't you go and talk to your boss, and he could explain that this was all sorted out."

 _Wow, my reputation doesn't precede me for once. I love it when they're dicks, it makes crushing them so much more rewarding._ "Mr. Basco has been reassigned. It seems that he missed something rather vital that you tried to bury in discovery."

"I –"

"No, that's quite all right, one wouldn't expect a big corporation to play fair. Particularly not one who already had an internal memo addressing the study that showed that their latest medication could lead to the shutdown of the liver, kidney, or heart. The people who play fair don't have those memos, and they certainly don't have to deal with me." She ran her thumb over the short note lovingly attached to the very helpful memo.  _Belle_ _really_ _i_ _s the best at research._

"We didn't do anything wrong, we turned that memo over."

"No, see, you did something wrong by letting the drug go to market despite that study, and burying it up until now. Actually giving it to us just makes you stupid."

"Ms. Agnarrsen!"

"The number is twenty million."

"No admission of liability?"

She smirked. She had missed this game. "That will be forty million."

"This is extortion!" A loud thud sounded over the phone. He'd either slammed his fist on his desk or fallen out of his chair. Elsa preferred to imagine the latter.

"If that's how you feel, then I'm more than happy to see this case go to trial. I do wonder what a jury will think about that memo though. They'll likely add a few more zeroes and there will absolutely be an admission of liability. And then the floodgates will be open to even more lawsuits, assuming that we don't find a few more ourselves and make this into a class actions suit."

"All right," She thought she could hear the squeak of the leather as he climbed back into his chair.

"Perfect, I'll have the paperwork faxed over to you. You're welcome to let your attorney have a look at it, just make sure you have it back to me by the end of business today."

He grumbled in the affirmative.

"It's been a pleasure talking to you."

"You can go to hell."

Rolling her eyes, Elsa bit her lip, trying to keep from laughing.  _He can't even keep himself professional for something this small? How has he managed to last a day as CEO? I'm sure the board will get rid of him as soon as they hear about this, if they weren't planning on it already._

Elsa withdrew the note once she hung up. It read "Elsa, I don't know if you've even noticed that I'm gone yet, but I wanted to at least make sure I didn't leave you empty handed. I did the research for all of the cases that were on your desk. I hope too many more didn't pile up.

"It's been an absolute pleasure working for you, and I hope this doesn't harm our friendship. You know how much I look up to you. You're everything that I hope to be some day.

"I didn't have the heart to turn in my two weeks notice until you left. I'm sorry, if we're still on for dinner the weekend you get back then I'll give you a proper goodbye then.

"Love,

"Belle

"P.S. Apparently you got a couple new cases since I last looked, I left a box with relevant books and files in the corner. Sorry I couldn't be more help!"

 _Why did I hate her again?_   _Great, now I'm going to have to tell Anya how great her girlfriend is, just because she did her damn job._  She rose and dragged the box to her desk. The thing weighed a ton. Kuzco's case must not have been there when Belle left, as there was nothing on Felony Murder, but there was enough for her to finish up the remaining cases before the end of the week.  _I almost miss her._

When she arrived at the cafe, she found Anastasia already waiting at a table, with a cup of coffee and a half-finished scone in front of her, and a coffee and chocolate croissant across from her.  _She knows me too well. I should not be that predictable._  She took a seat across from her and took a sip of coffee before greeting her friend. "Morning. You can thank your girlfriend for me. I already managed to settle two of the cases that ended up on my desk thanks to her research."

Anya laughed. "You know you don't have to do every case that someone hands you anymore, you're a full partner."

"Of course I don't have to, and they don't expect me to, that's why finishing them all by the end of the week looks so impressive."

"Sure it does, Elsa. You just always have to look impressive." She tore a piece from her scone and tossed it into her mouth.

"It's the only way I'm going to have my name on the building before I'm forty. Really though, Anya, please thank her for me, Belle did an amazing job. She really is the best at research."

She blinked. "Where's my Elsa? You don't have to say that, I know you're not too fond of her."

"I wasn't, but even when I liked her the least I still knew she was good at research. Now that we've grown a bit closer, and she just managed to do the work of four associates in half the time, I'm really going to miss her. Gaston, Phillip, and de Ville is really losing out here. I hope she found a good place, somewhere that will value her far more than I ever did."

That managed to bring a genuine smile to Anya's face. "I certainly hope I'll value her. I was scared to tell you, but it's been so great having her here this week already."

"You're the one that stole her?!" Elsa took in a deep breath.  _You're better than this. You managed to get over her last betrayal, this is nothing. She poached her girlfriend, you can hardly blame her for that._ _Still, though,_ _it's a really bad idea._  "Sorry, I know it's not like that. I'm happy for you, really, but Anastasia, this is a bad idea. You don't want to be your girlfriend's boss. That's just a recipe for disaster."

She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, her smile having completely vanished. "I knew you'd react like this. Everyone is always either betraying you or betraying the firm. It's a fucking business, Elsa. God, I can't believe this. For a second there I really thought you had changed."

Elsa forced herself to remain calm. She could understand why Anya was acting like this.  _If I jus_ _t_ _hadn't snapped at her immediately then she wouldn't think that's what this is about._ "Anya, I'm not mad at you, or her. You're probably the best boss that she could have, you'll treat her better than we ever did, but I am worried about you."

"Sure, of course that's what it is. Just like you were so worried about me when I started my own practice that you didn't speak to me for two years."

"I spoke a little – I know I was horrible to you. I'm sorry, but please, just listen to me. I love you, you're my best friend, and I don't want to see either of you end up hurt by this, and this could be really dangerous for the both of you. Going into business together is one thing, but being her boss –"

"Just forget it, Elsa." She rose to her feet, staring Elsa down in her seat. "She's not going to run off on me too if that's what you're worried about. For fuck's sake, I know you have your abandonment issues, but she's not Anna. And neither was I."

Before Elsa could collect herself enough to respond, Anastasia was gone. The door thudded behind her, and tears began to fill Elsa's vision.  _I wasn't being a bitch this time. I know_ _you_ _'re not Anna, I'm not letting my issues cloud my judgment here. Anya, please... I'm just worried about you._

Oaken brought her some hot chocolate.  _I am way_   _t_ _oo fucking predictable._ "Thank you," she managed between sobs. He only placed a hand gently on her shoulder by way of reply.  _I do really love this place._

After a little more paperwork and a surprisingly lucrative settlement, Elsa headed towards the Brooklyn Detention Complex.  _The one day I decided to wear my hair in a bun._ After an excessive search and a long walk, Elsa found herself in a room with the younger Kuzco. She'd left her hair down after the search, it wasn't worth the effort.

"Ms. Agnarrsen," he breathed, his relief palpable.

"All right, Miguel, just tell me everything from the top. Maybe there's something I can use."

"Wait, what do you mean 'maybe?' You're the best lawyer ever! Why wouldn't you be able to get me out of this? He was going to kill me! It was self defense." Tears threatened to spill forth.

 _I've had more than enough tears today._ "Mr. Kuzco, you're going to have to suck it up. I know it's scary, but this is what happens when you choose to live the kind of life you do. So I'm going to need you to calm down and explain everything that happened leading up to the death."

He chewed on his lip, clearly trying to force the tears to keep from falling.  _At least he doesn't look like a murderer._ "Well my buddy, Pacha, you remember him, he came to me last week and said 'Hey, Kuzco, I have the ultimate score.' Like retirement kinda score, you get it? I mean I know I didn't need it, but his family hasn't been doing so great since I totaled his car and the police stole all of his cocaine, so I figure I owe him, you know?"  _This man's life is a fucking dark comedy_ _, a_ _nd not a good one._  "The guy was an old jewel thief, or maybe it was an art thief, drug runner, something like that, I wasn't really listening, but the point was that he wasn't going to call the cops or anything."  _And he'd be likely to be armed!_  "So we got together the gang – a couple of my old friends from my country club days, they were tough shit. They had guns and all the cool gear, they wanted us to look legit."  _There goes the defense that he didn't know his friends were armed, one of the only possible defenses that would work, save of course for the fact that he was the one that actually killed him!_ "Well Luis and Brian, they hooked us up, but they wanted in on the job. At first, Pacha and me, we were like 'No, we'll pay for the gear and do it ourselves,' but they wouldn't let it go unless they got to try it out, apparently they'd never gotten to. So it's Me, Pacha, Brian, and Luis, in our awesome black sneaking suits, with the night vision goggles, a grappling hook, everything a thief could need! It was so cool. Pacha and I didn't have guns though, cause we're not about that life, LSD has taught me a oneness with everything, and Pacha has just always been a really laid back guy."

"So you weren't armed?"

"No, I just said that, aren't you listening, Elsa – sorry, Ms. Agnarrsen? Anyway, we were gonna break in through the sky light, but it turned out that none of us were strong enough to scale a building, even with a grappling hook, so instead we broke a window and went in through there. When we got in, we found our way to the basement, and Luis and Brian started in with their blow torches. Pacha and I were just supposed to be lookout, but after about ten minutes we got kinda bored, so we decided to share a joint. Pacha had rolled a few before we left for the celebration afterwards. So we had to lift up our masks, since they didn't have mouth holes, and then just when we were starting to get a little bit baked, that scary guy walked in."

"Mr. Coachman?"

"Yeah, him!"  _He looks way too thrilled with himself for just recognizing his name. Is he still high? How did he get drugs in jail – okay, that's a stupid question._ "So Brian starts freaking out, going 'Holy shit, he saw your faces, he saw your faces!', and he's reaching for his gun, but he's having trouble getting it out. I don't know if it was stuck in its holster or what, but he just kept pulling it and nothing was happening, but while he's doing that, Mr. Coachman - that's his name right? - Well, he pulls a gun out of nowhere. It was amazing, there was nothing in his hand and then boom – well not boom literally, he didn't fire, but it was just there. He didn't have any trouble with it, maybe he oiled his holster or something. So he's about to shoot Brian, and Brian still can't manage to get his gun out, and Luis and Pacha are just there staring at this whole thing."

Elsa valiantly avoided holding her face in her hand and weeping or laughing at the entire thing. She had the worst client ever. "And then you killed him?"

"Yeah! I grabbed the nearest thing, it was Pacha's lucky bong – may it rest in peace – from his bag, and I just swung it at the guy. It broke and he just went down, and there was blood everywhere, and I was just freaking out like 'Oh my god, oh my god, I just killed a guy!' and Brian is like 'You saved my life!' and Pacha is like "That was my lucky bong!' and Luis is like 'Look out behind you!' and then the security swarmed in and told us to lay on the ground, and then they called the cops. And now I've been in jail for five whole days, and I had just got out! You can't let me stay here, Elsa. You can get bail right? You're the best!" The tears finally fell.  _Of course it's not the murder that bothers him, it's that he might have to go to prison. Even I have more of a conscience than this asshole._

"Miguel, you need to give me something I can use. Were you at least coerced into going along? This is straight up felony murder, you could be facing life, and you don't have so much as a shred of evidence to bring to your defense. If you go into the courtroom and tell the jury that story, you're going to prison."

"No, daddy promised you could get me out!" He was bawling now and slamming his fists on the table. A guard checked on them, but Elsa waved her away. "Elsa – Ms. Agnarrsen, you have to get me out. I didn't mean to kill him, you know that! I'm not a violent person."

"Well we can't put you on the stand, and I'm not sure what else we can do. You were arrested at the scene, with the murder weapon still in your hands, and all of your friends have told the same story – not that that'll stop them from having the same sentence – I really don't know what I can do here. I thought you'd have something." She leaned back in her seat, only letting the exasperation show a little, as she tried to think of any way out of this for him.

He took in great heaving sobs. He was almost hyperventilating, he couldn't manage to force another word out.

"Miguel." She reached a hand for him.

"Please." His voice cracked halfway through the word, but his eyes met hers.  _He's an awful kid, but I can't say I want to see him spend the rest of his life in prison._  "Can't I just lie?" _Though he clearly does._

"I can't put you on the stand to lie, Kuzco."

"Please." He pawed at his eyes, wiping away tears. "Please, there has to be something you can do! You've saved my ass so many times, please just one more, I promise, I'll never break the law again. I won't even jaywalk!"

Elsa blew out a breath. He was such a pitiful sight. "I'll see if maybe we can get you a plea deal, but I'll be honest here, I don't see any way I could get you out of this without at least serving ten years."

"What if I turned on someone?" His eyes darted from wall to wall. Elsa wasn't sure if he was scared someone would overhear or if he was just looking anywhere for an idea.

"Who would you turn on?"

"Pacha! It was all his idea!"  
"They already have him, that wouldn't help you at all."

"I don't know, a cellmate! Maybe I'll overhear something." His blubbering was starting to make him harder to understand again, Elsa could barely make out the last word.

"Did you overhear something?"

"Well, no, not yet." He stopped sobbing and sat still, his eyes regaining their focus as they settled on her. "What about my dad? He's up to all kinds of shady stuff, I'll tell them everything!"

"He's my client. I can't be your lawyer if you're doing that, it's a conflict of interest."

"Please, what else can I do? I have to!"

Elsa leaned back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling.  _This is such a terrible idea._ "Do you have any specifics."

"Well, no."

"Has he told you anything?"

"No, but he always has so much money, he must be stealing it from the company or something, right? That's a serious crime!"  
She groaned.  _This is so fucking ridiculous. He is the worst defendant in the history of trial law._

"I doubt they'd want to let you go for white collar crimes, and that's nowhere near enough to go on. Just keep your mouth shut, and I'll see if I can manage to get a plea or find any legal loophole I can exploit."

"Promise me you'll get me out."

"Miguel –"

"Please, Elsa. Please, promise me. If you say it, I know you'll do it. You can do anything. I've seen you work miracles."

She was surprised to feel a tear leak down her own cheek.  _He deserves this_ _._ _I should not feel so bad for him._ "I'll try. That's all I can offer."

He nodded, but fell back into desperate sobs.  _He knows he's going to prison_ _,_ _and there's nothing I can do._


	22. Anna - This is a Totally Normal Thing

Anna picked at her fries, mulling over the day. The next class was by far the one she'd been most happy to be away from the last couple weeks, and it resuming was gnawing enough at her that she was having trouble finishing her lunch. The only thing she was looking forward to was Moana coming back to town the next day. "These fries are really good. Your taste has improved."

Anna looked up to see Esmeralda standing across from her, a half-eaten French fry in her hand.  _She's still talking to me?_  "Oh, um, thank you? There's this new food cart that opened up a couple blocks from here. I also got a chicken banh mi there, you're welcome to have half of it, I don't have much of an appetite."

Esmeralda pulled a chair over and helped herself to half of the sandwich. "Fries and banh mis, that's Portland for you," she laughed. "How've you been, Anna? I'd been wanting to stop by and the smell of the fries really sealed the deal. I've missed you."

Anna let out a shaky breath. She was more nervous than she'd expected.  _Come on, Anna, you can talk to your ex. You already sort of patched things up, right? You can be friends. You can. Stop trying to think otherwise!_ She shut her eyes for a moment to collect herself and quiet her fears. "I've missed you too. I've been –"  _In love with my sister? Good? All over the place?_ "Complicated. Kristoff and I finalized our divorce and Elsa visited over winter break. It was pretty great."  _Other than the palpable sexual tension only being on my end while Elsa just thought I was being a total weirdo, that is._ "Being single is taking some getting used to - I mean the living by myself part, that wasn't a jab - but Olaf has been handling the divorce surprisingly well. Too well, honestly."

"Hey, kids are a lot tougher than we give them credit for. I was about his age when my mom died, and I think I managed okay. He's like six right?" She grabbed another handful of fries.

"Almost. He turns six in February." Anna continued to pick at them, her unease was not lessened by Esmeralda, though it was still good to see her.

"Just let him handle it his way. He knows you're there for him, he'll talk to you if he needs it."

Anna nodded. "Thank you."  _Wow, that actually is a load off my shoulders, I didn't even realize I was still worried about it after our talk the other night._

"It's no problem. You're still my favorite teacher here and I'm hardly going to let you suffer on my watch." Her eyes widened. "Except when I'm the one doing it, apparently. You are okay with me being here right? I know you offered me the food, but still, I don't want to intrude. I know I hurt you.

"It's okay. I wasn't handling our relationship that well either, it was probably the best for both of us, and I think we've both had enough time or at least close to it. I'd still really like you to be in my life."

"Well, then how can I be of service?" She grinned before biting into the sandwich. "Mmm, this is really good. The bread tastes pretty decidedly like an American baguette, but the chicken is seasoned perfectly."

Anna considered this.  _That may be exactly how she could be of service._ "Well, there's a new girl."  _Hopefully she's not jealous. I sure would be. God, I hope she doesn't take this as an invitation to talk about her latest fling, I am not ready for that._ "I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but tomorrow is our first official date, and I need the perfect place to take her, and you introduced me to all of my favorite restaurants now, so maybe you could figure something out?"  _This is so awkward, why did I think this was a good idea?_

Esmeralda swallowed her bite and met Anna's eyes.  _She does look kinda hurt. I think. I forgot how pretty her eyes are. Damn it, I am not going down that road again!_  "I'd love to help you. Who's this new girl? Anyone I know?" She sounded almost timid, completely lacking in her normal brazen confidence. It kind of hurt to hear.

"I don't think so. She's a friend of a friend. Her name's Moana, she's a pilot, we've been friends for about a month now. We'd both just been through breakups when we met – oh God that was horrible to say, I'm so sorry – but we're ready to try something new, and we both seem to like each other." _Plus we've already kissed and she's already met my son, so we're practically married. That's how lesbian time works, right?_

"Oh." She took a contemplative bite of the sandwich, chewing slowly. "Do you know what kind of food she likes?"

Anna shook her head. "Pulled pork?"

"That it?"

"I took her to that pizza place you showed me," Anna squeaked.  _It is definitely too soon to be talking with her about other women. I'll just tell her I need to get ready for class. She'll understand, hell she'll probably appreciate it the way this conversation is going._

"Oh, did she like it?"  _Still sounds hurt. Great. Just say it, say 'I have to get ready for class.'_ "I found it my first year here and it's always been one of my favorites. I know a pretty good tapas place around that same area. It's a pretty good first date restaurant. I'll have to double check the name of it, there's like a dozen of them in town, but I recall really liking the one in Southeast. I'll double check on it and text it to you tonight?"

 _She's actually willing to help? She is so much more mature than me._  "That sounds great. What's a tapas place?"

Esmeralda burst out laughing. She finally sounded like herself again.

"It's not a sex thing is it?"

She clutched at her stomach as she doubled over from laughter. When she finally righted herself she had to wipe tears from her eyes. "Oh, Anna. It's a Spanish thing. Restaurants that do it in America somewhat misunderstand the term's meaning, but basically it's plates of food that you share rather than having your own meal."

"Well it sounds like topless." She pouted. "So it's like family style dining?"  
She sucked on her teeth. "Kind of. Not exactly. Basically you just would probably both order an item or two and share all that. Family style is more just ordering one meal for everyone, right?"

Anna nodded. "I think so."  
"So sort of the same idea, but done the opposite way. But you'll like the place, it's classy, the food is good quality, and the staff is really nice."  _She totally slept with a waitress there, didn't she?_ "I just wish I could remember the name of it. I promise, I'll find it out and message it to you tonight."

"All right. Thank you, Esmeralda. You're the best."

"Hopefully Moana will be better."

Anna swatted her hand. "You're the worst!" she shouted, fighting back an amiable grin.

"Well you're still the best, Anna."

She blushed slightly.  _Still flustering me, even now._ Fortunately the bell rang just then, and she was spared having to respond.

Esmeralda grabbed her half of the sandwich and waved. "I'll talk to you tonight. Enjoy your class. Give them hell. My students can still beat them up if you need."

Anna waved back, and with that she was gone. Anna stared after her.  _I might just take her up on that if this goes as poorly as I think it will._

Anna relaxed on the couch as Olaf finished his cartoon and his celery filled with peanut butter and raisins. She was planning on ordering pizza tonight, and the place tended to take forever, so rather than order before the rush and have dinner before they'd even be hungry, she decided to placate his hunger so they could just eat around eight. She had a cup of yogurt to tide herself over.

Some big explosion happened on TV and Olaf cheered wildly. She wasn't paying enough attention to be certain what was going on. She had been busy playing on her phone, which she now had to put off doing – Elsa was calling her.  _I don't want to interrupt the show. I'm not avoiding her, I just know how important this is to Olaf._  She almost believed it. At least a solid thirty percent. She would probably say that she believed it a good seventy percent, but that would be lying to herself.

She was relieved when the vibrating stopped and she was able to go back to looking at her friends' recent posts. Nani had posted a massive picture that Lilo drew, and Anna had to admit it was pretty impressive. She doubted even Giselle could paint that. She forwarded it to her.

A notification popped up saying that Elsa left a message and Anna was hit with a pang of guilt.  _I'm_ _getting over_ _her. I just need a few more days._ _Once_ _I see Moana I'll be fine. Elsa is the last person I cuddled with –_ Olaf leaned against her shoulder _– the last woman I cuddled with._ _After tomorrow,_ _I'll feel better. Then I'll call her back. It's just an extra day._

Olaf cheered on a character on the screen who was in the midst of some big fight. _I don't recall cartoons being this violent when I was a kid. Then again, I did love Spiderman._ Her phone managed to distract her from that particular tangent. Fortunately, this message wasn't from her sister. She was forcing herself to think of her that way.  _Not 'Elsa'; my sister._

Esmeralda had given her the name of the restaurant and asked how her class went. It took her a solid minute to figure out what 'Urdaneta' meant. Esmeralda had not been so kind as to text back 'Urdaneta is the name of the restaurant,' instead only saying 'Urdaneta. Did the class go okay?' Anna thought for a moment that perhaps that was her new nickname. She wasn't sure how to feel about it. She started trying to think of a nickname for Esmeralda before it finally clicked.

'That's the restaurant? The class did not go well at all,' Anna replied.

'Yeah. It wasn't the one I was thinking of, but it's even better. I was just about to take a bath. Want to talk about it?'

 _Do I want to talk about her taking a bath?_ Anna ignored the fact that the answer to that was 'kind of,' and instead decided that she did want to talk about her day. 'Yeah, give me a couple minutes and I'll call. Just want to finish Olaf's show with him.'  _Why can I handle my ex-girlfriend being naked while on the phone with me more easily than I can handle my own sister calling me?_ Of course, she knew the answer to that.

The big climactic resolution of Olaf's show played, and the theme song began as the picture was shrunk into the corner of the screen and another show started. "I'm gonna go play video games," Olaf said and stood up, taking his plate to the sink.

"Have fun."  _That worked out well._ She went up to her bedroom and called her friend.

"Hey, there," Esmeralda murmured. Anna could hear her sinking into the water.  _We broke up. In fact, she dumped me. This is a totally normal thing. How many friends did I talk to in the bath while I thought I was straight? Lots. I am overthinking things_ _. As usual_ _._

"Hi," Anna sputtered.  _Nailed it._

"So, tell me about it! The suspense is killing me. What happened?"

Anna groaned.  _At least that puts my mind back on something more wholesome._ "My class was mean to me." She spoke as pitifully as possible. She wanted maximum sympathy points.

"What did the mean class do?" Her tone sounded simultaneously mocking and sympathetic.

Anna buried her face against her pillow as she flopped down onto the bed, then turned over to stare at the ceiling.

"What was that?"

She ignored the new question. "I kept trying to teach them their lesson. We were supposed to be starting Of Mice and Men and I was trying to have them read through the first chapter as a class so that I knew we could discuss it tomorrow. Every time I called on someone, they'd instead just try to ask me about my divorce. I knew I shouldn't have put 'Ms. Agnarrsen' on the board, but I hated being called Ms. Bjorgman. Finally I had to just have Kion read, but they kept interrupting him. Especially that one bitch." Grumbling, Anna tried not to think of the student who had done her best to make her life a living hell this year.  _It's so unfair._

"What one bitch? Give me details." Another slosh of water as Esmeralda moved in the tub.

"The pale one with the hippie parents who very clearly didn't believe in discipline."  _Not that I'm one to talk there. I really lucked out with Olaf. I don't know if I could have ever punished my child, even a time out. I always hated when my parents would do that stuff._

"Snow White?"

"Yes! So you have her too? Can you believe her parents actually named her that. When I saw them at the parent-teacher's conference, I wasn't at all surprised. Of course they were hippies."

"I was a hippie, Anna."

"Right."  _Shit._  "Um, sorry."

"It's okay." She chuckled and the water splashed. Anna tried not to picture it.  _Wow it has been way too long since I've done anything with someone. I'm never this sex-crazed, I'm never sex-crazed at all. Between everything with Elsa, and talking to the last person I slept with_ _,_ _it's all a bit much._ "I know you're venting."

"She just kept asking question after question about it. At first I ignored it, but then we were running out of time and had still barely covered the chapter, so I just gave in and answered them. Then she kept coming up with more. She pressured me for the reason we split up, if I was seeing anyone, if he cheated on me, where I was living now. I went back to ignoring her, but she kept talking over Kion."

"Why didn't you give her detention?"  
Anna flushed. She should have expected that question. "I don't like punishing people," she mumbled, turning her face back to the the pillow. She just wanted today to end.

"Anna, you have to lay down the law. These brats will never respect you if you don't make them. Or just give them some drugs. It'll really mellow the little bastards out."

Her laugh was muffled by the pillow. "Teaching first grade was so much easier."

Esmeralda sighed. "I know. Okay, fine, I'll talk to her. Would that help?"

She wanted to say no. It was ridiculous.  _I am a grown woman and I can handle myself._ "Would you really do that?"

"You've stood up for me before, Anna. Really, it's the least I could do."

Anna nodded. "Please do it."

She could hear Esmeralda's smirk. "All right, but you have to swear to me you'll have a great date at that tapas place. I promise, Moana will love it."

That managed to bring a smile back to Anna's lips. She couldn't wait to see Moana again. Everything would make so much more sense if she could just spend time with her. Things were really starting to become serious - even if this was their first real date - and once she had a girlfriend, then her mind would stop trying to turn everyone else into one. "I promise. Are you really going to talk to her?"

"Of course I am. I will tell her that you are a dear friend and that if she continues to be mean to you, then I will have to reconsider my rather permissive approach to her attendance. So if she wants to both pass my class and be able to show up late smelling of pot, then she'll behave. Or I could just talk to the principal about what she and her friends have been up to."

Anna blinked and tried to hide the wicked grin on her face.  _I thought she was just going to tell her that she was hurting my feelings._  "Wow. Um, thank you." She found her hand playing with a strand of her loose copper hair and immediately set it back at her side. "That's really nice of you. Seriously, Esmeralda, you're the best."

"You wouldn't have said that a few weeks ago." She gave a forced laugh at her own joke. Their breakup was still fresh in both of their minds, even if it was almost two months ago. "I just want to show that we can still be friends, and that I don't approve of one of my best students being mean to one of my best friends."

"I'm your best friend?" She sat upright, her eyes wide. "Er, one of your best friends."

"I don't tend to keep many. You're special, Anna. Just because we had terrible timing and ruined our relationship doesn't mean you're not still important to me. You're a wonderful woman, and I'm lucky to have you as a friend."

She was glad that Esmeralda couldn't see her blushing. "Thank you."

"It's no problem. Now I need to dry off. Want to hang on or should I just talk to you tomorrow?"

"I'll talk to you tomorrow. Thank you though, you made me feel a lot better."

"Any time. Seriously."

They hung up, and Anna clutched her phone to her. She was, thankfully, not feeling anything romantic, but she was so happy that Esmeralda cared that much about her. She'd counted her as lost once they split up, and it had stung. Knowing that they could actually still be friends was some of the best news she'd had in weeks.  _I need to see about hanging out with her soon. We should make plans. I'll talk to her about that tomorrow._

She checked the time. It was still a little early to order pizza. She could hear Olaf playing video games in his bedroom. The notification of her voicemail continued to taunt her as she studied her phone. She knew she should check it.  _All right, I'll listen to Elsa's message, then I'll just go ahead and order pizza. God, we eat pizza way too much, that can't be healthy._

She hesitated over the play button for a solid minute.  _She's mad at me isn't she? I haven't talked to her since she left._ "Hey, Anna. I'm sorry I hadn't called earlier. I guess you're busy. I miss you. It was so great finally seeing you, we have to do it again soon. You'll have the summer off, right? Well, I think I just kinda wanted to vent about my latest case. I signed myself up for a fucking monster of one, I don't know what I was thinking. Other than that though, I just wanted to let you know that I was alive and see how you were doing. Call me back, okay? I really liked hearing from you everyday, and now that we finally finished patching things up I haven't in the last week or so. I'm not blaming you or anything. I've been crazy busy and I'm sure you have too. How about we make plans to definitely talk for a bit this weekend? Let me know. Love you."

 _She thinks it's her fault?_ Anna felt herself tearing up.  _It's only your fault in that you're so amazing, wonderful, and beautiful that your messed up little sister fell in love with you. I promise we'll talk soon, I just –_ she choked back a sob, trying to keep from crying. She didn't want to worry Olaf, and she knew it would show.

She typed out a message and sent it before she could second guess herself. "This Saturday should be fine. I'll call you after I get up. Hopefully Olaf will let me sleep in a little. I actually have him this weekend for once. I love you." She stared at the message in horror. ' _Love you._ _'_ _Not_ _'_ _I love you._ _'_ _That sounds so obvious. What if she realizes?_ She took a few deep breaths.  _You're being crazy. You've said 'I love you' literally thousands of times. You're sisters. Hopefully you'll be sane enough to carry on a conversation by then. You see Moana tomorrow. You'll manage._

She called up the pizza place. She was somewhat concerned when her voice choked out in a sob, but she assumed they got that a lot. "A small cheese pizza and a medium sausage and mushrooms." Her voice cracked on 'sausage,' but she managed to avoid laughing at the ridiculousness of it.

Once she hung up, she felt a lot better.  _If all I need to do to feel better is order pizza, then_ _I am_ _going to_ _do it even more often_ _. I will order it every night if it'll help me_ _stop feeling so crazy_ _about_ _my sister_ _._

She decided to go downstairs and watch TV while she waited. Olaf would come down when there was food.

Olaf chewed a slice of cheese pizza contemplatively. Anna was already on her second slice. He set the piece down and met her eyes. "So, I'm meeting Moana tomorrow, right?"  _That sounds even weirder than Aunt Moana._

"I suppose."  _I did ask her and she seemed enthusiastic, but this is such a big step. We're still not even a couple, but at the same time she should get to know my son. If they don't get along then we couldn't really work out. I know Elsa already gets along with him. Damn it, Anna, don't go there. She's already met him. It'll be fine. I'm worrying about nothing and going off on ridiculous tangents._ "She's really looking forward to meeting you."

His eyes widened and his serious look morphed into a goofy smile. "Did she get me a present?"  
"I'm not sure. You'll just have to wait and find out when you see her."

"But I want a present." He looked up at her with the saddest look he could manage.

"That's up to her, Olaf. Are you going to be good and play nice or are you going to try to demand that she give you stuff?" Anna gave him a disapproving look and he promptly stopped his pout. It didn't take much to make him realize that he was misbehaving.

"I'm sorry, Mama. I'll be good." He resumed eating his pizza rather than try to continue begging.

"That's better." Anna put the TV on for him as they finished their meal. It was just reruns of some old cartoon, nothing that she needed to worry about. Her mind continued to wrestle with the idea of Moana meeting him again, no matter how much she tried to insist that it wasn't going to be an issue.

When his show was finished she put her leftovers away before reading Olaf a bedtime story and turning the lights out. The pizza had taken longer than she would have liked to arrive and it was half an hour past his bedtime.

She turned in for the night a short while later, but decided to assuage her fears a bit with a quick message to Moana. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow. I already have the restaurant picked out, I've heard it's amazing. Olaf is very excited to see you too. I hope out first date goes as well as our last one."  _I really hope that joke works._

She was relieved to find a few minutes later that her joke was indeed understood. "Last time was just a practice date. I had to make sure I knew how to make this one perfect. If he's still up, tell Olaf I can't wait to see him either. I picked out a great present/bribe to make him accept that I'm dating his mother."

She held the phone tight to her chest. She really had picked a good one – she flirted just as dorkily as Anna herself did.  _Moana isn't a second place prize, she's a gold medal and I need to remember that._ She sent back a quick message saying that she was going to bed and that Olaf already had, and then plugged in her phone and went to sleep, eager to make it through another day in Hell so she could see her potential girlfriend that evening.


	23. Elsa - I May Have Made a Mistake

Elsa opened the door to the DA's office. She had seen who was assigned to this case and had barely managed to contain her joy. Her unwinnable case may be far easier than she'd expected. "Hi, I'm here to see Mr. Pan."

The receptionist looked up at her. "Is he expecting you?"

"I'm sure he is. This office, right?" Without waiting for a response, she let herself in, and took a seat across from the short redhead as he chattered into a phone.

His expression began to morph as he slowly became aware of her presence. The mild cheerful look was replaced with one of exasperation, which then fell away to one of utter disdain.  _Glad to see he remembers me._ "I'm going to have to call you back."

 _He wasted that power play. He should've kept me waiting. It's why I brought all these files. I would've ordered delivery. Well, at least he hasn't gotten any better._ "Take your time."

He slammed the phone down. It was a cell phone. That seemed very unnecessary. "Elsa." His words came out in a growl.  _So he's not happy to see me._ "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Peter."  _Fine, we can use first names. I'll live._ "I understand you have my case."

He blew out a breath through his teeth. "I should've known they'd give it to you. So, I have to go up against you and that idiot again?"

Her eyebrow raised.  _Well I wasn't going to call him_ _that_ _this time. I guess I really did hit a sore spot._ "Don't let the judge hear you talking about my client that way, Peter."

"I'm sure he'd agree. The jury certainly did last time."

She smirked. "They will this time as well."

Peter shook his head, his hateful eyes never leaving her own. "No they won't, Elsa. Your client is going away for a long time."

 _I have to shake him up. He's not usually this cocky._ "You sure you can manage that? You don't have the best track record going up against me. This will be, what, your fifth loss with zero wins? How about I take it easy on you? Give me a plea deal I can take back to my client, and I'll make sure he accepts it."  _I don't have another option. I certainly can't fight this on the merits._

His laugh was very disconcerting. Elsa could see immediately that he was calling her bluff.  _That's new._  "I think our record is going to start turning around here. I'm not going to just let you push me around anymore. I don't care who you think you are, or what firm you work for. I'm assistant DA, and I'm not putting up with your bullshit."

 _I may have made a mistake._  "I assume you're planning on calling up his friends as witnesses?" Peter added.

Narrowing her eyes, Elsa considered this.  _I guess he finally_ _graduated_ _from checkers to chess._ "I'd hardly be doing my job if I didn't."

"Well then you may want to find some new witnesses. They're all already witnesses for the prosecution."

 _Shit._ Elsa swallowed, her mind racing. She didn't have anyone else she could call, and she couldn't just put that idiot on the stand. "What deal did you give them? This is hardly going to look good for your case. Buying out everyone else that was there just to target my client? The judge is going to have to hear that you and I have history."

"He wasn't your client when I did it. If anything, it looks like you're going after me."

Elsa managed to not slam her hand into her face. She handled every step of this wrong. She should've known her last case with Pan would come back to bite her in the ass. She'd given him a grudge to bear. "I'll hand the case off. You going after my firm, and showing a particular distaste for my client, is hardly going to help your office. This is the second time in four months that you've gone after Mr. Kuzco. I think the jury would like to hear about that."

"I'll tell them that it's just because he's a two-bit criminal who can't keep himself out of prison." His smile showed too many teeth.

"I'll see you in court."  _That's the polite way to say 'fuck you.'_

"Until then, Elsa."

"Peter." She rose from her seat and turned to leave.

"Next time you decide to show up to attempt to control me, make an appointment." He closed the door behind her, leaving her wide-eyed and alarmed.

 _Kuzco_ _needs to find another lawyer. I somehow managed to just make his case worse. I didn't even think that was possible._ She left the building and headed straight for Oaken's. Sitting down with her chocolate croissant and hot chocolate, she stared into the case files, hoping desperately for any sort of answer.

 _I want to call Anna. At least she could make me feel like I didn't just screw everything up._ She checks the time to find that it wasn't even noon in Portland yet.  _I'm sure she's at work right now, I can't just call her in the middle of class. It's not that important. I'll call her later. I need to figure out how to handle this myself._

She stared into the affidavits and the police reports, looking for some sort of magic weapon that she could use to bring down Pan. She was not rusty enough to excuse this sort of behavior. First Anya throws her off her game in her last case, now Pan actually manages to get the better of her as soon as she gets back.  _No. I won't accept this. I can't accept this._

She swooped up the drink and pastry, and dashed back to work. She was going to find something, anything.

Four hours, two berated associates, and a few espressos later, and she was still coming up empty.  _Fuck me._  "I'm not going back to Kuzco with nothing, damn it!" she slammed her head against the back of her high quality leather office chair. There was enough padding that it didn't hurt, and as such didn't greatly make her feel better.  _As much as he deserves it, I actually kind of care about the kid. Maybe it's just because I've represented him so many times or maybe it's because I sometimes feel like I'm as big of a fuckup as he is._ She glanced around her lavishly decorated office, taking it in for the first time since she'd made partner two years before.  _Almost as big of a fuckup._

It was already almost seven.  _So much for those reduced hours I told Tiana I'd have. Oh well, not like there's anyone waiting for me at home, anyway._ She returned to the mess of wrinkled papers. She wasn't sure what more she could wring from them.

"Knock knock." The familiar voice of Albert Gaston came from her doorway.

"Did you just actually say 'knock knock?"

"My hands were full." He indicated the two cups of coffee he was carrying.

"And here I was expecting scotch."

"They're Irish." He handed her one.

"Yeah, that's pretty appropriate right now." She took a sip.  _Fuck that's good._ "You been holding out on me?"

"It's not like I've let you drain my liquor stash already. I happen to have some very good Irish whiskeys."

"I can tell." She took a larger sip, letting it warm her insides and rejuvenate her. "I think I needed this."

He threw himself into a chair, bringing his leg up over the armrest. "What's bothering you, Elsie? You've been ripping apart that folder all day. Don't you have a beautiful wife to get home to?"

"Girlfriend," she corrected. "No, I think she's in France right now, opening up a little southern place in Rouen." She drained the rest of the cup. "I have no fucking clue what to do with this, Asshole." He smirked at the nickname and reclined in his seat. "I needed to get a plea deal, but of course it's the one assistant DA I've managed to piss off more than any other."

"Hey, if you hadn't pissed off anyone in the DA's office I would've had to fire you ages ago."

She shrugged and stared at the ceiling. "I don't want to see this kid go to prison. I know he deserves it, even more than plenty of people that are already there, but I just don't want to see it happen to him. He's not a bad kid, not really, he's just a spoiled rich idiot."

Gaston laughed. "Kuzco again? How many times have you defended him now?"

She groaned. "This is the fifth. Plus the three times I've represented his father."  
"The way I see it, if he goes away, then he's already more than earned it. I mean I'd rather we have the continued paycheck, but he's hardly something worth losing sleep over." He sipped gingerly at his drink.

"I know you're right, and I know that any sane lawyer would realize this case was unwinnable and just do what little they could to lessen the sentence, but I need to win it."

He sat up to meet her eyes and gave an appreciative nod. "I knew there was a reason I hired you. Then win it. What's stopping you?"

"Every single piece of evidence, eyewitness testimony, fingerprints, my client, and anything else you can think of."

She had not expected him to laugh at her. It seemed a bit forced. "What does any of that have to do with a case? Elsie, man, come on. Who cares about evidence? We're lawyers. It's all about emotion. You don't want him to go to prison. You just have to make the jury not want him to either."

Elsa glared at him.  _I need to stop letting him call me Els_ _ie_ _, but that can wait. I suppose it's still better than his nickname._ "Excuse me for wanting something more to argue than jury nullification."

He shrugs. "Hey, if we can have the evidence on our side then that makes our job a little easier, but the jury really doesn't care about that. They're dumb. If they like the client they'll let them go free, no matter how guilty they are. Look at OJ, look at Regina. Make them like your client, or at least make them understand why you like him. That's the first step. From there, it's a homerun. You've already won, no matter what evidence the prosecution has."

Chewing on her lip, Elsa considered this. She'd managed to win the acquittal of a few very guilty people based largely on their charisma, but they were at least intelligent, so she could put them on the stand without worrying. Kuzco didn't have that going for him.  _What does he have going for him?_

"Go home, get some sleep. You've got the whole weekend ahead of you before the trial. I'm sure you can come up with a way to humanize that dumbass by then."

She nodded. "Thanks, Albert."

With a quick pat on her shoulder, Gaston made his way to her door. "Well I'm going to go grab a burger and head home. I'd advise you do the same. Have a good night, Elsa."

She had to admit that a burger did sound good. She decided to follow his example. She'd heat up Tiana's food over the weekend. A burger, half a bottle of wine, and a good night's sleep were almost enough to make her forget that she had an unwinnable case with an impossible client.

Elsa glanced over from her laptop as her phone buzzed on the glass desk.  _Why is Belle calling me? I'm pretty sure we canceled our plans for today._  "Hello?"  
"Hi, Elsa." She sounded upset. _I hope my fight with Anya didn't cause any issues. I still think it_ _'s_ _a bad idea, but I didn't mean to hurt either of them._

"Hey, Belle."  _Now I'm saying hi again. This is awkward._ "Everything okay?'

Elsa can almost hear her shaking her head. "I'm sorry about Anya. I was looking forward to us all hanging out again. She's really overreacting here; even from her version of events you don't sound like you were being that mean."

That was surprising. Elsa stared at the phone. Anya had always been pretty good at seeming like the good guy – though she generally was –so hearing that Anya was in the wrong was strange, especially from her girlfriend. "Would you like to hear mine?"

"I think I know it pretty well. You found out that she hired me and you were worried about her, because being your girlfriend's boss is a terrible idea, then she decided that you just didn't respect her and stormed off without even giving you a chance to explain yourself. That sound about right?"

"More that she's convinced I'm incapable of change than the respect thing, I think, but yeah, that's pretty accurate." She tapped out a staccato on her desk. Had Belle ever called her before? She had only saved her phone number after their little pizza get-together the other month.  _I'm still having trouble thinking of her as a friend, but I can do it; just be nice._  "I'm sorry we had to cancel, I was looking forward to it."

"I could still come over."

Elsa froze. She had not prepared for this. She was convinced it had been a good five minutes before she finally found a response. "Would that be okay? I mean would Anastasia let you hang out with me? I know she can be a little possessive."

"She's at the office anyway. I'll tell her when she cools off. Come on, I haven't had a Saturday off in ages, she's almost as bad of a slave driver as you all were." She audibly sticks her tongue out at the phone, managing a laugh from Elsa. "That's better. So I'll be over in a couple hours?"

She glanced at the time. It was four; that seemed reasonable. "Yeah, six sounds great."

"Perfect, I'll grab pizzas. Motorino's?"  
As badly as Elsa wanted to agree to that—Motorino's Margeritta pizza is what she lived for—she had barely touched Tiana's meals. "Actually, how would you like to have dinner prepared by a world famous chef?"  
"Oh, Tiana's there?" She sounded way too excited.

"No, she's in France, but she left me a bunch of pre-prepared meals. We could both pick our favorites." Motorino's could wait. At the very least she'd be able to show it to Anna if she visited over the summer.  _They may be a little too fancy for Olaf. We could grab him a slice someplace on the way back._

"That sounds amazing! Let me go get dressed. I'll see you soon!" She hung up.

Elsa sighed. This was going to be a weird day. She'd developed a bit of a fondness for Belle, but she'd spent so long resenting her, it was weird to think that she was going to come over for dinner.  _Especially as badly as she always seemed to be crushing on me. I hope she doesn't think this is a date. I mean of course she doesn't, she's with Anya, and she knows I'm with Tiana; even if Anya is being a bitch, she wouldn't cheat on her._

At 5:30, the doorbell rang.  _I didn't even give her my address._  When Elsa opened the door, Belle flung her arms around her. "Hey, Elsa! It's been too long."

Elsa patted her back and gave her a light hug.  _What have I gotten myself into?_  "Come on in. I'll show you the options."

A short while later, Elsa sat in front of a plate of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans, while Belle had a bowl of lasagne al forno. "She had such a good variety, I could barely choose," Belle admitted, eyeing Elsa's meal enviously.

"Help yourself." Elsa promptly led by example and stole a forkful of Belle's pasta. She preferred Tiana's baked bacon and breadcrumb mac and cheese if they were going to have one of her oven baked pastas, but she couldn't deny that it was still amazing.

Belle watched as Elsa ate her food and followed suit, enjoying a bit of the steak before she even tasted her lasagne. "This is amazing. Her blend of food has always really interested me. You always either hear about her soul food or some crazy fancy thing like her beef wellington. I didn't even know she could do Italian."

"She can do anything."  _Everyone gushing about her cooking always makes me feel so bad for taking advantage of the opportunity to have fast food and pizza when she's out of town. Though, as often as she's been gone of late, her home-cooked meals have been growing more and more tempting._ "Her thing is just trying every recipe she can get her hands on and learning from it, recreating it, reinventing it, improving it, then finally once she's tested it on me and anyone else she can get her hands on, adding it to her menu at a few places."

Belle tried a bite of her pasta and her eyes lit up. "Can I just move in with you two?"  
"I don't think Anastasia would approve. If you get her permission, I'll ask Tiana."

She stared at the pasta as if trying to decide if taking that risk was worth it. Based on the fact that she dropped it, she likely decided that Anya was in no mood for anything involving Elsa, even if it would give her access to world-class food. "Will you at least tell her that she can use me to try out new recipes any time?"

"That, I will do."

Belle's grin was adorable. Elsa couldn't help but feel a bit better just seeing it. She could make a cute girl smile, so clearly she wasn't a total fuckup.  _Just most of one._  She spooned some mashed potatoes and gravy into her mouth as she tried to sort out her situation. Opening statements were on Monday, and she had barely managed to come up with anything. "Something on your mind?"

Elsa shook her head. "It's nothing too important. So, other than her renewed grudge against me, how's living and working with Anya treating you? I know I sure couldn't handle it."  _You did handle it. For years. If you're going to playfully joke about a friend's partner, maybe don't say something provably false. Are you a lawyer or aren't you?_

She shrugged, forking another helping of lasagne into her mouth. "Do you want me to bitch about her or tell you the truth? I don't mind bitching about her, I'm really mad at her right now."

"Just tell me the truth."

With a sigh, Belle replied, "It's honestly amazing. She's the most understanding boss I've ever had, she has a whole bunch of really interesting books at her place, she respects my private time, she's a great cuddler, and she buys me lunch every day at work. Hell, she even managed to match my pay from the firm. I couldn't believe it."  _I can't believe it either. A private practice being able to match our pay? Even if she has to stretch the budget for it, she's an even better lawyer than I give her credit for._   _"_ She's being awful to you, so I hate admitting it, but things between us have been absolutely perfect."

"That's wonderful." Elsa was surprised to find that she wasn't lying. "I want you two to be happy, even if she and I aren't too happy with each other right now."  _Great, I actually care about Belle as a person and not just as an impressive research machine._

Her smile only grew in intensity. "You mean it? I'm so glad. I'm going to try to convince her to stop being such an ass and apologize to you for how she's been acting. If she has a brain, she knows you weren't doing anything wrong. She and I are making a crazy decision, and she didn't even check with Dimitri first. He was not happy with her."

Elsa gave a vindictive smirk at that. "That sounds like her."

Belle sighed and stabbed a large helping of lasagne before shoving it into her mouth to avoid furthering the conversation.  _So much for that track. Now what the hell do we talk about. All we had in common was work and Anya, and_ _we don't have work anymore_ _._

Elsa ate some of her beef to dull the silence.

They continued to stare at their plates without further remark for a few minutes. "How about you? Everything good with Tiana?"

 _Well, she's never here and she seems to want a kid._ "Yeah, everything is great."

"And work? I hope you're not having too tough of a time now that I'm gone." Elsa had never seen Belle look so cocky.  _If I was single and five years younger._

"You're pretty hard to replace. I've had two associates trying to keep up with your normal research and failing, and you weren't even my personal associate."

"Then just grab a third. Maybe then they could manage."  _What happened to that timid girl from my office?_

"The truth is, I'm not sure even a dozen associates could manage to save this case. I may be in over my head."

Her expression softened, the smirk fading into a look of concern. "What's the case? I thought I had left you pretty well prepared."

Shaking her head, Elsa skewered her last bite of steak. "I think I got it about the second you left. It's a new Kuzco case. Maybe if I had a competent client I could manage to get him off, but even Gaston thinks the best I could do for him is jury nullification and I'm not even sure how I could manage that. I need something, even the barest plausible excuse, that the jury could hang their hat on, but he's given me nothing."

Belle took one last bite and shoved her bowl to the side. "I'm going to finish that later. It is the most delicious thing I've ever eaten, but let's do this. I never got to work with you, I've been dying for this chance. Let me help!"

"Belle, I can't. We can't hire out Anastasia's firm, and there's no way she would allow it anyway."  _She's offering you help. You can't do it alone, just fucking take it, Elsa. Consequences be damned._

"I'll do it pro bono, you don't need to put my name anywhere on the case. It'll be our secret, just let me help." She looked up at Elsa, her lower lip protruding as she pleaded.  _I'm sure that always works on Anya._

 _Fuck it, it can work on me too._ "Fine. Let me catch you up." Elsa shoved the remains of her mashed potatoes into her mouth and moved her plate to the side before scattering the files over the table. She walked Belle through her client's testimony and what Pan had told her.

"So you're telling me you have no witnesses?" She looked like she'd just taken a bite of something far too sour.  _Hey, I offered you a way out._

"My idiot – sorry, my client," she offered Belle a playful grin, which was promptly returned, "wants to testify, but he'd just perjure himself. I can't have him testify in the narrative, it would either add nothing to my case, or worse, a juror would know why he did it and it would ruin my case's credibility."

"Well the law certainly isn't on your side either, so I'd say expert witnesses are out. There's no one you could use as a character witness?" She flipped through the heavily wrinkled pages, smearing white sauce on a page as she checked over an affidavit.

Elsa shook her head. "The best character witnesses would be either his best friend, who's testifying against him, or the guy whose life he saved, who's testifying against him. I could put his father up on the stand, but what would that do for him? If the only person you can call as a witness is family, you look better just not calling a witness."

She chewed on her lip and pushed her glasses back up as she tried to study the police report. Elsa had spilled some coffee on it earlier, so that was easier said than done, but she seemed to be managing. "Why did you take this case again?"

"Because I'm an idiot." She undid her bun, a bit more violently than necessary, and gestured towards the couch before grabbing a stack of papers and flinging herself into it. "I wanted something interesting for my first big case back, and I guess I found it."

"You're not an idiot. You're the best lawyer I've ever seen, even Anastasia says so. If anyone can win this case, you can. And if you can't, then it means no one could, so you're not allowed to beat yourself up over it."

"You're not the boss of me." Elsa took a sip of beer. It was a microbrew that Tiana had found and was considering using in a local restaurant. It tasted like honey mixed with caramelized hopps. She didn't hate it. "Fuck. This is just ridiculous. I might have to actually put him on the stand. I'm going to have to coach him so much, it's going to sound completely unbelievable, but if I don't then he'll just perjure himself."

Belle grabbed her wine and joined Elsa, taking a seat in the recliner. "I don't know, you might not have to. It sounds like Mr. Pan is trying to make his case all about Kuzco's friends. He doesn't even have any of the security guards that apprehended them on his witness list, let alone the police officers. They're all going to sound pretty biased."

Elsa snapped to her feet, staring into Belle's brown eyes. She needed to kick herself.  _How the hell did I overlook that?_ She tore the witness list from Belle's hand. "Let me see that."  _Christ, did those two weeks in Portland rust over all of my skills?_ He was calling three witnesses, all of whom were likely to testify more or less the same thing, with no one more competent or respectable to corroborate their story. "Wow, Petey really is an idiot." She tried to consider if there was any way she could use the arresting officer for her own case. She could put a few holes in his testimony, since he certainly didn't witness anything, but it would only allow Pan to question him with an even easier time of it, since he could lead him. "I don't need to have Miguel testify at all. I'm not calling a witness."  
Belle stared at her. "You're not?"

She shook her head, ideas filling it at a rate she could scarcely believe. It was still going to come down to a coin toss, but she could do it.  _Taking a case from a certain loss to an even chance, that's enough of a save for me._  "His witnesses aren't exactly the trustworthy type, and they're all pretty incompetent, unless he's coached them perfectly, so their stories are likely to conflict a bit, and I have a few other holes I can poke in their claims. Hell, he's giving all of them reduced sentences, when they should've had the same charges as my client. I can do this. Holy shit, I can really do this. I wish I had been here for jury selection, but if they did a half decent job then I should be able to give enough of a doubt, maybe not quite a reasonable one, but enough that it might just work. Holy shit, Belle, I could kiss you."

She blushed. "Maybe next time," she offered with a quick wink before turning to hide her face.

 _Anya's a good influence on her. With that confidence she's building, she may make a decent lawyer yet._ "I'm gonna go work on my opening." She stopped, just a few steps toward the stairs. "Unless you wanted to hang out more. We could watch a show, I still have all day tomorrow."

Belle waved away her offer. "It's fine. You have a plan right now, I don't want to let that go to waste. Can I take my leftover lasagne?"

"Belle, you can take a whole other box of anything she made."

Her eyes widened as she smiled widely enough that Elsa was worried she'd hurt herself. "Thank you so much!" She dashed to the fridge and grabbed a styrofoam box. "I may have to hide it from Anya, but this is just amazing. Two meals from Tiana in a single night. I need to come over here more often."

"Yeah," Elsa admitted, with a faint smile of her own, "you do."

Elsa sat, her hands folded as she calmly watched Peter explain his case. Kuzco looked like he was about ready to have a heart attack, but he at least appeared somewhat respectable in the four thousand dollar suit his father had provided him. "Not only was he the instigator in the robbery, but he was the one who single-handedly murdered Mr. Coachman. My witnesses will corroborate this, and I assure you, we will prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that Mr. Kuzco is an unrepentant killer." He pointed at Kuzco, who shrunk so low that Elsa was worried he'd fall out of the chair.  _Perfect._   _Go ahead and demonize him, Petey. He looks more and more innocent the more you try to paint him as some master criminal._  "My colleague here will no doubt try to convince you that he's just some," he gesticulated, waving his hand as he searched for the word, "idiot, but it's not his intelligence that's in question. Nor is it even his motive; in a felony murder case, motive is irrelevant."  _Shit, he really has gotten better. Maybe the three witnesses aren't as big of a slip-up as I thought._  "All I need to show, is that he was robbing Mr. Coachman, and Mr. Coachman was killed by his actions, or those of his companions."  _There we go._ "I will show precisely that." He returned to his seat, his eyes lingering on Elsa as he settled in.

Elsa rose, her seafoam green dress sweeping the floor as she rounded the table to face the jury. "Mr. Pan is right." Kuzco's eyes widened and he silently gasped. She could almost see tears forming in his eyes. "Motive isn't important here. It's one of the only times you'll hear that as a member of the jury. He has set a very low bar for himself, and I'll leave it to you to decide if my client is the monster that he is trying to portray him as. He'll make no mention of past crimes,"  _because he can't if Kuzco isn't testifying,_ "he'll offer no solid evidence, no DNA, no fingerprint, not so much as a single hair sample, but he'll still expect you to convict, on the word of three criminals, who are only here today testifying because he gave them a plea deal. As I'm sure you can see by the way he's glowering at me –" she doesn't even need to look to know that she's right, "Mr. Pan and I have a bit of a history. He knows that Mr. Kuzco is my client, it's why he's gone after him before, time and time again."

"No, it's because he's a criminal!" Peter shouted.

"Sit down or I will hold you in contempt," Judge Frollo snarled.

Elsa managed to hold back her smirk. "The truth is, not even the assistant DA thinks that Kuzco is as bad as he claims he is. Every single one of his witnesses faced the exact same charges as my client, but only one of them was represented by me. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I ask you, please don't let this man's grudge against me cloud your judgement. Don't allow him to paint my client as some sort of criminal mastermind, just because he wants to lash out at me. Consider the evidence before you, consider who you're being asked to put away for life, and consider how little he is able to provide. I've no doubt you'll find his case to be a lacking and shallow endeavor concocted solely to fuel his own desire to one-up the woman he was never able to beat." She turned the smirk into a pained expression, as she turned to look pitifully down upon her opposing counsel as she took her seat.

Peter looked like he was about ready to leap out of his seat and rip her face off. He was certainly lending credence to her testimony.

Frollo checked his watch. "It's getting late. We can pick this up tomorrow morning at eight. I have a roast turkey waiting for me at home, so I'll see you all in the morning." With that, he dismissed them.

_I thought we'd at least get to the first witness. It's not even 4:30._

Kuzco fell into tears as an officer marched him out. Fortunately, the jury was still there to see it. This was precisely why she hadn't even tried for bail. Presumably whoever was handling the case while she was away thought the same. It just wasn't worth it. He needed to look as pitiful as possible.

She left the confines of Peter's glare, and made her way home. She didn't feel like stopping back by the office; she would do so tomorrow after winning this case and with a victory croissant and coffee in hand.

Once she made it home, she finished off another one of Tiana's meals and watched one of her shows, unwinding a bit from what had still managed to be a fairly stressful case. That bravado had taken a good deal of work. She still had barely more than scraps of a case, and it was going to take a good deal of luck to win, but at least she had already won the jury. Every single one of them had given Pan some sort of distrustful look, from a sideways glance, to a leer, to a full-on stink-eye. They were eating out of the palm of her hand.

She checked her phone and found that it was a little past seven.  _Anna's probably home by now. Teachers get out at like three, right?_  She never had gotten around to calling her. Tiana was hopefully on a flight back from France right now, so tentatively celebrating with her would have to wait. She tried calling her sister. When she only reached her voicemail, she thought maybe she was wrong about her schedule.  _It has been a long while since I was in high school. Maybe they get out later now?_ She left a message asking if they could talk the coming weekend. She was going to be busy enough this week that she didn't want to offer plans that she couldn't guarantee.

She hung up and considered calling Anastasia. She really did want to make up with her, but she just wasn't ready to apologize when she wasn't in the wrong. She knew she'd have to suck up her pride eventually if she wanted to keep the friendship, but part of her was still holding out hope that Anya would come around. She decided to call Anya's girlfriend instead.

"Hey, Elsa," Belle whispered on the other end. "Gimme a minute." A few seconds later, Elsa could hear cars passing by over the phone.  _Okay, Anastasia is definitely still mad at me._ "What's up?"

"Opening statements went really well. I didn't get to actually question anyone, because Judge Frollo thinks four o'clock is late, but the jury seemed to be siding with me."

She actually squealed. "That's amazing! I know you can do it, Elsa. I don't care how impossible this case may seem, there's no way Mr. Pan is beating you."

"Thanks, Belle."

"I've got to get back to work though." Her tone was overly apologetic.  _Guess Anya can be quite the slave driver._

"It's fine, just wanted to let you know. You were a big help with the case."

"Any time, Elsa, just let me know and I'll help again." A car honked. "As long as I'm not at work. I'll talk to you later."

"Have a good night, Belle." Elsa let the phone drop as she sunk back into the couch. It wouldn't hurt to go over her case a few more times before bed. She decided to review each of the witnesses' affidavits as some police procedural played in the background on the TV. She finished off a couple more of Tiana's beers as she played out every line of questioning she could take and how the jury was likely to react. By the time she finally retired for the night, Elsa was ready to kick Pan's ass in the morning.


	24. Anna - Why Do I Always Date Star Trek Nerds?

"Captain's log, stardate 1621.2, we have encountered a strange new enmity –"

"Entity," Anna corrected.

"Right, entity. A strange one. We have to find out if it's peaceful." Olaf's hand rested on the toy phaser on his belt. He pushed on his collectible TNG communicator pin that his father had given him. "Mom, I mean, First Officer Agnarssen, report to the bridge." It had taken a good ten minutes to teach him how to pronounce her old last name. Anna was a bit impressed that he'd managed it.

"Right away, sir," she replied, ducking behind the couch, then coming back out. "What are your orders, Captain?"

"I need to lead an away mission to this planet. We have to invesi- investagate the entity."

 _Close enough_. "And you'd like me to man the bridge while you're gone?"  
He looked surprised. "What? No, I want you to go with me. It's scary."

Anna couldn't help laughing, but she quickly collected herself. "Of course, Captain."

Olaf led the way into the kitchen – which is to say the inhabited M-class planet – as they were transported to the planet's surface. He held up his phaser, staring at the back of it. "The tricorder says that the air is breathable."

Anna pantomimed removing a helmet. "That's good. Do the readings say where this new lifeform is?"

He continued studying the toy. "Um, over there." He pointed toward the fridge.

Sven wandered into the kitchen, as if on queue. Kristoff had let Olaf take him home the previous weekend, since he had to go out of town. "Is that it?" Anna asked.

Olaf held his phaser over it. "My god, the readings are off the chart! It's eminitting some sort of new gradiation!"

Anna managed to stifle her giggle and keep her serious face - she was a Vulcan after all. "We must try to communicate with it."  
Olaf nodded. "Strange creature, we come in peace." Sven ran up to him and licked his face, eliciting a giggle from Olaf, as well as the one Anna had been holding back. "It seems to communicate through some form of tongual communication."

She placed her hand over her mouth. She could barely keep herself from doubling over in laughter. After a few seconds she finally managed to collect herself enough to respond. "Fascinating. What a strange lifeform. I suggest we bring it back to the ship. We can study it there, and perhaps learn how to converse with it."

"I'm no scientist, I'm a captain," Olaf spat back. "The only way to advance our inter-speakies talking is by using his language." He licked Sven back.

"Olaf, he hasn't been washed in a while."

"That's Captain Olaf! Of the Starship Olafprize. I know what I'm doing, Mama - I mean Number One." He licked Sven's face again.

Sven licked back and Olaf gave him a hug.

"I think I'm beginning to understand. His people need... Food."  _When did he switch to Shatner?_ "Number One, have them beam down food."

"Yes, Captain." She pressed her chest. They only had the one communicator. "Officer Agnarrsen to the bridge. The people here seem to be starving, I need you to beam down food. I don't care if it violates the Prime Directive, I won't let these poor dogs – aliens – starve." She walked over to the bag of dog food and poured some into Sven's bowl.

He ran over to it and started eating. Olaf looked up at her with a massive smile. "We did it, Mama! We saved the day."

"Indeed, Captain. We have made peace with a new species. The Federation will be pleased to hear about this."

He nodded, his face returning to a serious expression. He tapped his pin. "Two to beam up." They returned to the living room and Olaf climbed into the recliner. "Engage."

Before they could head to their next planet, the doorbell rang. Anna panicked for a moment, checking the time, but Moana still wasn't due for another couple hours. Plus, she was going to pick her up, so it'd be pretty weird for her to be ringing the doorbell. She went to the door to see who it was.

"Hey, beautiful."

Anna turned bright red. She tried to brush her hair over the stick-on Vulcan ears. "Moana, what are you doing here? I mean, I know we have a date, but you're early! I was just about to get ready to go pick you up. I didn't expect you. I mean, hi. How're you? Did you have a safe flight? Wait, you flew yourself, I guess it must've been safe. You're a great pilot right? I mean of course you are." It wasn't the first time Moana had seen her in jeans and a t-shirt, or with the makeup she'd put on ten hours earlier, but she was hoping to look a bit better for their first date. "Would you like to come in?"

Her face flushing, Moana laughed at the awkward girl. Anna only reddened further. "I would love to."

"Enter," Olaf shouted from the living room.  
Moana met her date's son for the second time. Her eyes fell on the Star Trek badge and the phaser clipped to his belt. "Permission to come aboard?"

"I already said enter," he whined. "Meet me in my ready room. Number One, you have the bridge."

Anna looked between the two of them. She was worried about leaving him alone with her—who knew what he might say—but they had to get to know each other eventually. "I'm going to go get ready. I mean, I'll be at the helm, Captain. I'll let you know if anything happens." She waved to Moana before she dashed upstairs.

She could almost hear the conversation, but couldn't quite make out the words. She did her makeup as quickly as she could and threw on a dress. When she made it back down, she could hear them laughing. "I'm glad that your mother helps you explore the alpha quadrant."  _Why do I always date Star Trek nerds?_

"Of course." She could practically hear his grin. "I mean if someone as cool as you was so into it, then who wouldn't love Star Trek."

"Hey, don't go telling your mom what I told you," she replied with a chuckle.

"But why? It's so cool. I mean Star Trek made you want to be a pilot!" Anna waited halfway down the stairs, holding her breath as she strained to hear the conversation.

"Yeah, and I'd rather she not know I'm a total nerd yet."

"What's wrong with being a nerd?"  _Damn it. A few other kindergartners were making fun of him and Lilo for playing Star Trek during lunch._

She could faintly hear Moana stammering. "I didn't mean it like that. Being a nerd is great. I totally want her to know that I am one, I mean nerds are the coolest and most successful people. Like how I'm a pilot, and I mean all scientists are nerds, and the people that make video games, total nerds, so of course you can tell her how much I love Star Trek. I was just joking."  _She sounds almost as bad as me._

"Oh." He seemed to accept that. "Mama! Moana loves Star Trek!"

Anna's laughter gave her away. She was just glad she didn't fall down the stairs from how hard she was laughing. "I'm glad you like it, Moana. For you, I might even be willing to sit down and watch a whole series."

She eyed her, clearly torn between admiring the new outfit and properly considering that offer. "Well, we can just order pizza and binge watch The Next Generation, I am more than okay with that."

"But I made reservations."  
"I wanna watch!" Olaf added.

"Two against one, Anna." Moana smirked.

"But, but, tapas. I still need to find out what it is! I was told it was the perfect place to take you for our first date. We can't just watch Star Trek with my kid for our first real date. Nani already said she'd babysit."

"Yeah, she's sitting in the car waiting for you to get ready. I texted her. She's the one that picked me up." Moana held out her phone, displaying several messages of Nani asking if Anna was ready yet.

"See, so we should get going. I mean, the reservations are in –" she leans in to check the time on Moana's phone, "two hours." She deflates a bit.

"Exactly, so I'll tell them to come on in, and we can all watch a couple episodes of Star Trek."

 _But our date. Watching Star Trek as a family is not a date!_  "All right," she offered hesitantly.

"Okay." Anna almost melted at her smile. "I've got to warn you though, the first season is kinda rough."

"Then why don't we start on the second?"

"The first season introduces everything, you can't just skip it! Besides, it has Tasha Yar, who is awesome and kind of important later."

Anna grumbled and leaned back in the couch, between her son and her date. Moana put an arm around her.  _This is looking up already._  Olaf leaned against her. _Scratch that, this is perfect._

Anna quickly texted Nani to come on in and join them, and pulled up Star Trek on Netflix.  _I guess this is my life now. Can't complain._  A few minutes later Lilo burst through the door, followed by an exhausted looking Nani – which is to say a typical Nani.  _Okay, I can complain a little._ "Hey, Nani."

She waved and sank into the recliner. Lilo perched herself on the armrest next to Olaf. "Nani said we're watching Star Trek?"

Olaf nodded, his grin taking up his entire face. "Mama is finally gonna watch it with me."

"I've watched a few episodes before," she insisted, sounding petulant even to her ears.

"What about your date?" Nani asked.

Moana waved her off. "We have two hours. We'll watch two episodes, then we'll leave you three to your day."

"Thanks," Nani replied through gritted teeth.  _I haven't babysat in a while. She must be exhausted._

"I'll take both of the kids this weekend in thanks, deal? Kristoff is gonna be out of town, so I'll be home all weekend anyway."

Her eyes lit up. "You promise? Oh, thank god. Thank you, Anna." The relief in her voice was palpable. Lilo seemed used to this. Rapunzel was far less subdued about it whenever Anna had come to pick the kids up. "I'll pay for pizza. Hell, I will pay to make sure Moana can come out here and join you if you need."

"Is it okay if it starts Saturday? I asked Esme if we could hang out on Friday," Anna explained sheepishly.  _I'm not trying to get out of babysitting Lilo, I swear. Though if Kristoff isn't back, I do fear for Sven's ears. He's lucky she hasn't bitten them yet._

Her eyes narrowed, but she nodded. "Yeah, that's fine, as long as you'll also drop them off on school Monday."

"I can't even drop Olaf off, he takes the bus."

"Lilo can take the bus too."

Anna wanted to object. She was usually gone by the time Olaf was picked up, but she could be a few minutes late for class. She owed Nani that much. "All right, fine." She was so glad that his kindergarten included a bus system. She and Kristoff had picked this neighborhood precisely because of how reliable the school system was; a lot of schools in Portland just used the city buses. They had assumed they'd always be able to drop their kids off at school anyway – they hadn't known that he'd be a son yet, nor that they'd stop at one – but they appreciated the backup. "But you're picking them up on Monday."

"Deal."

"Let's start the show before we have to leave." Moana hit play.

Anna managed to sit through an hour and a half of quality sci-fi television, through sheer force of will, and the cuteness of the people clinging to her arms.  _This isn't too bad. I guess I could watch more. I just wish we could skip to a better season._

"I guess we should go to the restaurant now?" Moana asked, almost managing to not pout.

Anna rolled her eyes playfully. "We can cancel if you really want to."

"No, I want to take you out on a proper date. One where I can kiss you without weirding out your kid."

"I don't mind," Olaf cut in.

"I do," Lilo added.

Anna chewed her lip as she considered this situation. "I promise we can watch more when we get back. Come on, let's get some real food in you and have a proper date without the peanut gallery watching."

"Hear that?" Lilo whispered, far too loudly, leaning close to Olaf. "Your mom says you're a peanut."

"She meant you!" he shouted back, glaring at his friend.

She promptly bit his nose.

Nani rushed over and pulled the two apart. "You two get out of here while you still can. Anna, you get to enjoy this all weekend. I swear she's teething again."  _It's Kirby isn't it?_ Nani caught Anna's eyes and mouthed 'run.'

She and Moana made their way to the garage and headed to the restaurant. "That was certainly entertaining," Moana said after a moment, with a chuckle. "Are they going to be okay?"

Anna waved her hand then brought it back to the steering wheel. She was not willing to crash on the way to their first date. "It happens a lot. Lilo likes biting. I'm hoping she grows out of it eventually."

"I like biting too." Anna could almost make out her lascivious grin in her peripheral vision.

She tried to concentrate on driving.  _No one's ever bitten me before._ She stopped herself before her mind could drift to wondering who else would be into biting.  _You're on a date, Anna!_  Fortunately for her sanity, Moana dropped the subject, and she was able to keep it together as they made their way to the restaurant.

Moana opened her door for her. Anna blushed even harder at that than the biting comment.  _What would the term be? It's not gentleman._ "You're so sweet," she offered.

"I want to treat you like the princess you are."

Any thoughts of a certain other woman vanished for the moment. Anna was shocked she didn't swoon then and there. As they made their way to the restaurant, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the restaurant's windows. She was still wearing her Vulcan ears! Her hands reached up to remove them, but Moana stopped them and pulled her into a kiss.

She promptly broke it and took a step back. "I'm sorry. That was silly, we haven't even started our date yet. Just – don't take them off. I really like them. My sexy Vulcan. That is to say a sexy Vulcan I am on a date with."

"Would you like me to be your Vulcan?"  _Two can play at this game. I won't be the only one all flustered today._

"I would love that. We will have the house all to ourselves tonight."

 _We will. Wow. I haven't had sex in my own home for so long. That's such a weird, novel thought. I can actually spend the night with this amazing beautiful woman, take my time, not have to worry about anyone else in the house – except for Sven. I'm definitely doubting Nani took him with her. I have to remember to walk him when we get back._  She found Moana in front of her, holding the door to the restaurant open.

"After you." Her eyes drifted over the fitted blue suit that clung to the gorgeous pilot. She had been so distracted that she hadn't taken the chance to appreciate it earlier.

"Thank you." She sashayed past her, hoping to emphasize the way her own blue gown clung to her assets.  _I feel like I'm in high school again. Plus we match._

They were promptly led to their table and handed menus. They both ordered a glass of wine and took their time to consider the wide array of plate options. "We're supposed to just order a few things to share," Anna explained.  _Like I even know what I'm talking about._  "I think, at least; I haven't done it before."

Moana studied the menu. "Closest I've ever done is fondue. We didn't have anything like this growing up in Ohio."

"You're from Ohio?" Anna's eyes widened and she let the menu fall to the table. "I just always assumed you were..." she trailed off.

"What? From the islands? I was born in Maui, but my father got a job in Toledo."

"Oh. Do you still live there?"  _How do I not know this? I am the worst._

Her eyes crinkles as her lips turned upward in a small smile. "It's okay. I don't tend to talk about it much. Ohio SUCKS. There's a reason we all end up flying away. Look at the space program. Yeah, I still live there, barely. I don't spend much time there. I like coming here as often as I can, but it's where most of my possessions live. You're welcome to visit some time if you think you could stand the endless cornfields and bigotry."

Anna paused. She was already being asked to visit? It sounded amazing, but at the same time she didn't make it sound too pleasant. "Would you like me to?"

This seemed to catch Moana off guard. She turned her gaze back to the menu. "I'd really like you to be there, but there's not really anything to do. It's not worth it, and it's not like I could get you a free ticket since we're not related. It's way easier for me to just visit you."

"That's not really an answer," Anna pressed. "Would you like me to?"

She turned her gaze back to Anna, worry clear in her eyes. "I would. It doesn't have to be anytime soon or anything, but I would really like to have you there. I have a pretty decent-sized apartment. Olaf could come too and have his own room. Though I'm sure that would complicate things, he has school, and so do you; you could visit over the summer or something, but it's really fine if you can't."

 _She's the second person in two days to ask me to visit them over the summer. Maybe Olaf and I should visit her first? Or on the way back? I just don't want to make a commitment for something six months from now on our first date; even I'm not that crazy._ "I'd like to, but I'm not quite sure if we could manage it yet." Moana looked disappointed. "But I'll definitely try. I love spending time with you and that sounds great!"  
She brushed her hair back and bit her lip, her small smile returning. "I hope you can make it."

Their waiter came by again. "Have you ladies managed to decide yet?"  
"We haven't even managed to look at the menu," Anna admitted.

"That's quite all right. Take your time." He grinned amiably at the two of them. "What brings you out here? Special occasion?"

Moana locked eyes with Anna as if silently asking for permission to answer.  _I think._  She nodded, hoping desperately that she interpreted her correctly.

"We're on our first date. We've been friends for a few months, and we heard this place was amazing, so it seemed the perfect option."

His smile grew warmer and more genuine. "My boyfriend and I came here for our first date. I had the employee's discount, so it was certainly worth it." He chuckled. "I'll see if I can get you two a free dessert. I'll make it perfect, even if I have to tell them it's both of your birthdays."

Moana's grin matched his. "Thank you. We'll just be another few minutes."

"Take all the time you need." He left them to their menus.

Anna's eyebrows went up as she stared at her date. "How did you know he was gay?"

She shrugged. "I didn't. I just love being able to actually be open. Back home that would have been so risky, but here it's usually a safe bet. Everyone in Portland is queer. I know it's an exaggeration, but it sure doesn't feel like it."

 _I didn't know that I knew any queer people until three months ago._ Anna silently pouted.

"Shit. I'm so sorry. Nani had told me. You were kinda locked in the straight world until a few months ago weren't you?" Her awkward smile was apology enough. She looked like such a dork.

"It's okay. I just feel really dumb sometimes. Hell, my sister was dating the most famous lesbian in the world, and I never even knew, and I was married to a guy for fifteen years and didn't even suspect anything was off about it until the last couple. I think I might be hopeless."

Moana clasped Anna's hand in her own. "You're not hopeless and you're definitely not dumb. Some people just take more time to realize it than others. Maybe your attraction just isn't as strong as some people?" she offered.

Anna shook her head. "The way I feel looking at you in that suit would definitely suggest otherwise."

Moana's face colored again. "Then what the hell are we doing here? How about we get back to your place and I tackle you onto the bed?"  
Anna tried as hard as she could not to blush. She did it too much, and this date was just getting started. She failed. "We're having a proper date, Missy!" She pointed her finger accusingly at the gorgeous woman across from her. "I have been waiting for this for months and we are letting it happen."

"Yes, ma'am." Moana still hadn't let go of Anna's hand. She traced her thumb along Anna's palm. "We should probably actually look at the menu then."

Anna nodded. "Right. We should do that."

A short while later, they had plates of shrimp, almond gaspacho, dungeness crab salad, and jamon. It was somehow both more and less food than Anna was expecting. As much as they ordered, she felt like it was going to be more, but she wasn't sure they'd be able to eat all that they'd ordered regardless. She tried a bite of the shrimp. It was spicier than she was used to, but really good.

Moana tried the jamon. It was just ham, Anna had expected something more exciting with the Michael Jackson-sounding name. "Is it any good?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's really good." She skewered another piece and held it out to Anna.

 _I can't even remember the last time I've done this. I don't think Kristoff and I shared a meal in years. I suppose Esmeralda stole my food a lot, and let me try hers, but it wasn't like this._ She let Moana place it on her tongue and enjoyed both the salty flavor, and the feeling of intimacy of letting another woman feed her. She locked on chocolate brown eyes as they studied her. "Mmm."

"Told you," she teased, withdrawing the fork.

They made quick work of the plates. Anna was a bit impressed by just how much Moana was able to put away.  _How does she stay so fit? I'd be jealous if not for the fact that I'm going to get to enjoy her body myself soon._ For once, her mind wandered to the appropriate place. She could think of so many things she wanted to try with Moana. She still wasn't sure what was real and what were myths when it came to lesbian sex, but she wanted to try all of it with her.  _Even scissoring._   _Seriously, is that a real thing? I have to know._

"You there, beautiful?" Moana asked.

At some point chocolate cakes had been brought out for them. She hadn't even noticed. "I am now." She rose from the table and pulled Moana to her, their lips meeting, and her tongue slid into Moana's mouth. She offered no resistance, her own tongue eagerly greeting Anna's. She could taste all of the spices and flavoring they'd just enjoyed. It was a weird sensation, but she savored it. She explored Moana's mouth, desperate to claim it as her own, and hoping she'd have the chance to do more when they got back to her place.

Moana murmured contentedly. Her eyes were still half-lidded when Anna pulled away.

"Let's get the cakes to go." Anna could scarcely believe her own words. She had never been terribly capable of delaying gratification when it came to chocolate, but the idea of keeping her hands off of Moana for any longer than she had to was just too much to bear.

Moana called for the check.

"I'll pay," Anna insisted.

"Nonsense. I don't have anywhere near as many expenses as you do, and I'd be getting a hotel otherwise –" Her eyes widened as she met Anna's. "I am staying over, right? I shouldn't presume-"

Anna laughed. "Of course. You're welcome to stay over any time you're in town." Now it was Anna's turn to fret again.  _Did I just say that? That's way too much of a commitment for our first date._ "I mean, if that's okay with you."  _How is that better?!_

"I would love that." Anna thought that Moana wanted to say something more, but the check arrived before she had the chance. She paid in cash. Anna was thrilled to not have to wait for the credit card to return, she wanted to tackle this woman into bed this instant – or be tackled, she wasn't picky.

She could scarcely remember the drive home. She couldn't focus, she was amazed that she managed to avoid a crash. She needed to get that woman home that instant. She was pulled from her thoughts when Moana yawned as she pulled into the driveway. "Sleepy?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as she could.  _What is wrong with me_ _lately_ _? I'm acting like a teenager._

Moana nodded reluctantly. "I've been up since six, East coast time. I really want to make tonight special for you, though."

"It's already been special. This has been the best first date ever."  _Although I didn't get to pet a goat._

"But I can tell by the look in your eyes that you'd like it to last longer, and involve something a bit more exciting than tapas. It's okay, Anna, I'm up for it, I promise." They climbed out of the car and made their way into the kitchen.

Anna eyed her.  _I want us to both be totally into it when it happens. I'm not gonna do something stupid and leap without thinking again._ She pecked Moana on her cheek. "Do you want to do it tonight, or wait until our next date and just cuddle and watch Star Trek as you fall asleep tonight?"

She sighed. "Certain parts of me really want the former, but I have a flight at seven."  
Anna's face fell. "Oh, I thought you'd be in town for a couple days."  _Then clearly we should do this tonight. My poor libido can't take another wait like this._

"I thought so too, they changed it on me at the last minute. I'll be back next week, though."

"All right."  _I can wait a week._ "Come cuddle?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."


	25. Elsa - The Only Way I Could Win

"Mr. Alvarez, what is your relationship to the defendant?" Pan asked, approaching the witness stand. He leaned against it, casually displaying his dominance to the jury.  _That's just weird to see. I can't get used to Peter thinking he's in charge of anything, let alone my court room._

"I'm his best friend." Pacha's voice was higher than usual, and he was scratching his neck and moving about a lot. Either he was detoxing from a substance or his conscience was getting the best of him. Knowing him, it was likely both. No matter what, Elsa could use it.

"And yet you're testifying against him?"  _Have you practiced this already? If not, it's a pretty risky question, more likely to make you look bad than my client, but it could be worth the play. If only you'd phrased it correctly._

"Objection." Elsa from her seat, locking eyes with Judge Frollo. He's not senile enough for her to need to explain that Peter's leading his witness.

"Sustained. He's your witness, Mr. Pan, how about you save us all some time and follow proper trial procedure."  
Peter ground his teeth as he turns back to Pacha. "Would you explain why you're here today?"

"Uh, you told me to, dude. Did you forget?"

Elsa could see sweat beading on Petey's forehead. He's not off to a great start. He straightens his tie and stands up. He's clearly losing what control of the room he thought he had. "Well of course, but what was it that I called you to testify about? What did you see that night?"

"What night?"

The teeth grinding only intensified as he glowered at Pacha. "Judge Frollo, permission to lead the witness?"  
"Denied."

He stares back at him in shock. "What, but, why? He's clearly being hostile."

"Dude, harsh." Pacha stared at him, his mouth open. Elsa tried not to laugh.

"And had you not just tried to lead him without asking, I may have granted it. You made your bed, now lie in it." Frollo's glare brooked no further discussion.

Peter turned back to his witness, his hands fidgeting together as he tried to regain his ground. "What did Mr. Kuzco do, when you were all in Mr. Coachman's home?"

"He broke my bong. It's the second worst thing he's ever done to me. I can't really blame him though, he was saving Brian's life. He's a goddamn hero in my book, even if he did break my favorite bong." He caught the look that Peter gave him. "Oh, but I guess you said that that was illegal. Sorry, Kuzco. I didn't think it was that bad."  _I'm actually starting to feel bad for Peter. I suppose he did know what to expect from Pacha; he wasn't any better for him the last time he called him. You'd think he'd have learned by now._ "Let the record reflect that Mr. Alvarez said Mr. Kuzco killed Mr. Coachman. His motive is irrelevant."  
"Objection! He's testifying."

"Sustained."  
Pan looked between the two of them. "No further questions."

Elsa walked over to the witness stand. Rather than trying to look in control, she did her best to look empathetic – an ability she had let wither in recent years. She faced Pacha from an angle, allowing the jury to see them both, and spoke in soothing, even tones, rather than the more assertive voice she would typically use for cross examination. "Mr. Alvarez, what deal did Mr. Pan offer you in exchange for your testimony?"  
"He gave me a plea deal for ten years. He said I would be getting 25 years if I didn't testify. I'm sorry, buddy." He turned his gaze to Kuzco, tears forming in his eyes. "I didn't have any other choice. My family needs me. This way I get out before I'm fifty and I can still look after them. I swear I didn't want to."

"Please refrain from addressing the defendant," Judge Frollo said, in an uncharacteristically sympathetic tone.

"In your opinion, does Mr. Kuzco deserve to go to prison for this?"

"Hell no!" Pacha shook his head emphatically. "He's the best bro I've ever known, and now he's a hero. He should be getting a medal, not a prison sentence."

 _That's about all I can establish. Fuck, I hate this case._ "No further questions."

"The prosecution calls Mr. Brian Pepikrankenitz to the stand." He was sworn in and took his seat, looking about as unhappy to be there as Elsa was.  _There's no way all three of his witnesses are gonna be as bad as Pacha, right? I mean it's basically the only way I could win this thing, so here's hoping, but even Pan's not that bad._ "Mr –" he caught himself. He didn't want to try to pronounce that name any more often than he had to. "Brian, would you tell the jury what happened on January 10th, when you broke into Mr. Coachman's residence?"

"All right. Well we all grabbed our gear and made our way over to his estate. It was about as we'd heard. We managed to break in, and get to his vault, but while we were trying to break in, who should happen to walk in on us but the famous kidnapper himself?"

"Strike that last part from the record."

"No," Frollo retorts. "I will not have Mr. Phoebus remove the crux of your witness's statement simply because you don't like it. He could add alleged kidnapper if you insist on whining about it."

Peter blanched. "No, your honor. That's all right. He can leave it." He turned back to his witness. "What happened next?"

"The bastard pulled a gun on me. I mean we were just trying to do the whole Robin Hood thing, stealing from those who deserve it, but I wasn't expecting anything like this. He was supposed to be out of town. My life flashed before my eyes, I was sure I was gonna die, and then he saved me." He pointed toward Kuzco.

"Let the record indicate that he pointed at the defendant," Elsa interjected.

"Ms. Agnarrsen, Mr. Pan has the floor," Judge Frollo admonished her.

Peter attempted to recover from her distraction. "How exactly did he save you?"  _Not bad. Seven out of ten recovery there, Petey._

"He bashed him over the head with a bong."

"He killed him," Peter clarified. "Thank you. No further questions."

Elsa didn't even bother to stand. "So my client saved your life?"

"He did. I'd be dead if it wasn't for him."

"And you're testifying against him, why?"

He sighed. It seemed this wasn't easy for him to say. "Mr. Pan said he'd give me a ten year sentence if I flipped. I didn't want to do it, but it was my only choice."

"No further questions."

Frollo looked over the courtroom. "Mr. Pan, you may call your last witness."

Peter hesitated.  _Starting to rethink your three witness plan? Less isn't always more, Petey. Except of course for my zero witnesses, they are clearly the best bet and not at all a risky move that I wouldn't be making if I had any other option._  "The prosecution calls Mr. Luis –" he cleared his throat, trying to figure out the name again, "Pepikrankenitz to the stand." He grinned. He managed to say it. He just had to avoid ever saying it again. "Could you describe for the jury the night of January 10th?"

Luis's look back at him seemed hollow, as if he wasn't even there. He didn't offer a flippant or confused response, he only followed the script. "We were robbing Mr. Coachman's place."  _So that's why he saved him for last._  "He wasn't supposed to be there. We were armed, but only in the case of an emergency."

"So you did have guns. What happened next?"  _He prepared the only competent witness to be the only one to bring up a vital part of felony murder. If it was Pacha or Brian, I might've been able to get them to say that Kuzco didn't know, but the way he's acting, I don't think he'd veer even the slightest bit from what Pan told him, and even Pan would know better than to gloss over that. He set a trap for me, and it's a damn good one. If I don't call him on it, all I have is jury nullification, if I do call him on it, then he can give a solid testimony that gets rid of any possibility that it wasn't felony murder. Did Peter just beat me?_

"Kuzco, he grabbed the bong from Pacha's bag and he swung it at Mr. Coachman's head. He died instantly."  _  
_ "Objection!" Elsa stood from her chair. She had grounds for this, but still felt more than a bit desperate. "He doesn't have any medical expertise."

Frollo turned to Pan.

"It's a lay opinion. He appeared to be dead."

The judge turned back to Elsa and shook his head. "I'll allow it."

"He was lying in a pool of his own blood and he wasn't breathing," Luis elaborated. "I don't need to be a doctor to know that. Kuzco saved my brother, and I'll always be thankful for that, but he did kill the guy."

 _Whelp, I'm fucked._  "No further questions." Peter took his seat.  
_What the hell am I going to do? I can't just have him repeat that he's being rewarded for this, his testimony is too good, it'll sound weak. There has to be something._  She took the time to saunter over to the stand, clearly in no hurry. It didn't buy her enough, she was still stumped when she reached him. "Mr. Pepikrankenitz," she managed. "Would you be testifying against my client if Mr. Pan didn't make you?"  _It's all I can do. I can't ask if he thinks Kuzco's a killer, I can't ask if Kuzco was against them having guns, none of it matters, and all of it just lets him screw my case all the more._

He shakes his head. "No, Ms. Agnarrsen. He saved Brian. I owe him my life, but I just couldn't handle throwing my whole life away for this. I'm sorry." Tears streamed down his face as he turned to face Kuzco.  _That's the best I'm gonna get._

"No further questions." Elsa returned to her seat.

"The prosecution rests."

Frollo turned to Elsa and for just a fraction of a second, she froze. She had been counting on Pan not being able to make his case. She could still hit him for that, but he'd done a far better job than she'd expected. He was finally learning; it only took him most of a decade. She looked to her client and Kuzco's eager face beamed back at her.  _He's certainly ready to testify. If only that wasn't the worst idea in the world._ She turned back to the judge, her throat going dry as she prepared her answer to his unasked question. "The defense rests."

He arched an eyebrow at her, but nodded. "We'll take a short recess and then you'll both have time for your closing arguments." His gavel echoed throughout the chamber, and everyone rose to leave.

Before she could even make it halfway to the door, Peter stopped her. He was trying to look as confident as he could, but she could see in his eyes that he was as nervous as she was. This case should have been a sure thing for him. If he messed it up, his boss might start wondering if he was actually competent enough for the DA's office. "Do you have a minute?" he asked.

She glanced to Kuzco, to see that he was following behind her.  _Good, would hardly help to lose my client now._ "Yeah. Buy me a coffee?"

Elsa was surprised to see that he actually laughed at that. It hadn't been meant as the power play he may have read it as, though she'd certainly done similar deeds before; she just needed a drink, and a pastry if any looked good. "Sure."  _How scared is he? Maybe I'm not as screwed as I thought I was. I definitely managed to depict Kuzco as pretty sympathetic. Gaston might be right, the jury really might not care about the law._

She followed him to the lobby's little cafe, and they both ordered a coffee, and an espresso for Kuzco. _Great, he'll be even more jittery._  They were unfortunately lacking in chocolate croissants, so she ordered a bear claw instead. Pan didn't object as he paid for everything.

They took the food and drinks back to the defense's waiting room.  _I have home turf advantage – kind of – and he paid for everything. He's fucking terrified._ "So, how can I help you, Peter?" She didn't want to come off too informal, but showing him the respect he honestly deserved at this point might just give away how weak she felt her hand was.

He glanced between the two of them and pried the lid off of his coffee before blowing on it. "Five years, burglary."

 _Holy fuck._ Elsa took a sip of the far too hot beverage to avoid giving away her shock. She had a pretty good poker face normally, but he had gotten to her during the trial. She looked to Kuzco.

He shook his head. "No way, man. I'm not doing it. I trust Elsa, she can win this thing. I'm not going back to prison."  _You were only in jail!_

She let out a slow breath, both cooling off her tongue and trying to appear as if she was considering the offer. "Miguel, if you trust me, then trust me when I say you should take the deal."

Both Pan and Kuzco's eyes widened as they stared at her. Neither one said a word for several seconds. Kuzco was the first to break the silence. "No way, Ms. Agnarrsen, you can win this. I have faith in you."  
She met his eyes and tried to do everything in her power to convey that that was a very bad idea. "If I lose, you're likely to face thirty years, maybe even life. You should take this deal. You're twenty, you have your whole life ahead of you, and you'll still have it when you walk out in five years – maybe less if you behave yourself. It's worth it. If you go away for thirty, you'll be fifty when you leave, and you'll have spent over half your life behind bars."

He raised his hands up, Elsa hoped in surrender. "Nope, can't do it. Five years is too long. Give me one. I'll agree to one."

Peter gave him an incredulous look before turning back to Elsa. "This is the best deal you're ever gonna get, I shouldn't even be offering it."  _Elsa could hear the implied 'But you're doing such a good job nullifying the jury that I'd rather not risk it, so I'm giving you the best deal in the history of plea deals that only an idiot would turn down._ Of course, her client was an idiot; she'd made that point enough times.

"Kuzco, you should really reconsider. Take the deal, it's in your best interest."

He shook his head again. "Nope, not doing it. Five years is way too long. That's a quarter of my life!"  _Holy shit, he did math._

"Yeah, and this is 150% of your life."

He tilted his head at her. Clearly the number was just too big for him to wrap his head around. "You'll get me off, I believe in you. Zero is like," he paused, double checking the math in his head, "zero percent of my life."  
Elsa smashed her head against the back of her chair.  _How can anyone be this dumb? Ow._  The ceiling had a nice marble pattern in it. It really was a beautiful courthouse. She dropped her gaze back to Peter. "Sorry, Pete, he won't take it."

He rose from his chair, and attempted to straighten his tie, despite it already being straight. "Well it's still on the table until we reconvene. Let me know if he reconsiders." Elsa nodded in response and he walked out of the room.

Kuzco grinned and held his hand up for a high five. "Did you see that? We've totally got him! He's so scared, there's no way we're going to lose."  
Elsa somehow resisted smacking him in the face, instead only taking a bite of her bear claw. "The entire case is on his side, Miguel. The jury might not want to see you face 25 to life for this, but if they do their duty then you will. You should take that deal."  
He chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous, Ms. Agnarrsen. You're the best lawyer in the world. You've got this in the bag."

She took another bite of the bear claw. It wasn't great.

* * *

Back in their seats, Elsa saw Peter fidgeting across the court room. He was twirling the corner of a piece of paper into a fine point. Turning back to Kuzco, she saw his legs bouncing as he looked back and forth and drummed his hands on the table.  _I should not have let him have that espresso._ She kept her own anxiety inside of her.

The jury sat down, and everyone rose and then sat again as Frollo entered the room. "Mr. Pan, you can go first." His curt smile made it quite clear that he was not so eagerly anticipating Pan's speech.  _Why does Judge Frollo always seem to like me? I'm literally everything he hates._

Peter stood, adjusting his tie again, and clearing his throat. He took a few paces from his table and faced the jury. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," he began, his hand twirling his tie just as it had the paper, "Judge Frollo has instructed you as to the letter of the law. Your heart may go out to Mr. Kuzco, but don't let your pity keep you from giving him what he deserves. Perhaps facing consequences for his actions is the only thing that can truly help him. He broke into a man's home, and killed him. It doesn't matter who this man was, whether or not Miguel had intended the murder, or if he had a motive. He was in the act of committing a crime, he knew that two others in his group were armed, and he killed someone. That is every single element of felony murder. There is no possible explanation for the events that took place that January 10th, that could make it anything else. If you are to follow your duty to uphold the law as a member of this jury, then you are obligated to convict. Thank you." He almost bowed before turning away and scurrying back to his table.

Elsa blew out a breath.  _I'm fucked._  She stood and turned to face each member of the jury, one by one, looking them directly in the eye. She could see how conflicted they were. Kuzco may have deserved this, but they didn't want to give it to him. She would use that the best she could. "The prosecution gave you a compelling case. They offered three witnesses, granted all of whom said that they didn't feel my client deserved to go to prison, and they were all here as part of a deal made with the prosecution, and they all were trying to avoid this exact fate themselves, but they were still witnesses. Probably not the most reliable witnesses, but they were there. Why didn't he call anyone else that was there? He didn't call any of the security guards who arrested my client, he didn't use any footage of the crime, he didn't call the arresting officer, or even someone who could testify as to forensics.

"He offered you three men, who all very badly wanted to not be sitting where my client is sitting. Maybe they told the truth, maybe they didn't. Luis certainly seemed like he was instructed to tell a very specific version of events; he even volunteered information that had nothing to do with the question he was asked. He just brought up the guns out of nowhere. Maybe they were all told to tell this version of events in exchange for their softer sentence. We simply can't know. We weren't offered anyone reliable who could verify any of it. That's reasonable doubt."  _No it isn't._  "As long as we can't be sure that what we were told was reliable, then you can't be certain that you're convicting a guilty man." With that, she pivoted and somberly walked the few steps back to her seat, her head just slightly bowed, as if in mourning.  _That's all I've got._

Kuzco grinned at her and gave her a thumbs up.

"The jury will now be sequestered as they deliberate the verdict." Frollo banged his gavel again.

As Elsa walked out of the courtroom, almost in a daze, weighing her odds, and desperate for another answer, she felt a hand grasp hers. She almost shook it off, but it was warm, familiar, comforting. She turned to its source to see Tiana. "Hey, honey."

Elsa's heart thudded in her chest. "Tiana?" To repair her weak greeting, she pulled her girlfriend into a hug.

Tiana's lips met hers, and Elsa could feel the anxiety flowing away. They broke the embrace far sooner than Elsa would have liked, but they were blocking some people. "I got back a couple hours ago, haven't even been home yet, figured I'd come watch. You're doing great, by the way. I didn't want to interrupt you when that guy was talking to you," she indicated Peter, "but you were really compelling. Hell, I'd vote not guilty." She smiled up at her partner. "I missed you."

Elsa's cheeks hurt from how wide she was smiling. "I missed you too."

"I'll let you go do whatever you need to do, didn't mean to interrupt. We'll grab dinner after?"

Elsa nodded. She didn't want to let her go. She needed her. "Yeah. If they're taking too long we might just grab dinner before then, but we'll see."

Tiana gave her another smile and walked off in the direction of the coffee stand. "Who was that?" Kuzco asked, from somewhere behind Elsa.

She groaned. "My girlfriend."  
"Oh." His eyes widened as he considered this information. "I had no idea."  
She shrugged.

Once they were back in their little hideaway, she threw herself into her chair. This wait was going to be agonizing. Kuzco paced back and forth in front of the door. "If you want, Mr. Pan's deal might still be on the table."  
He turned to her, blinking in confusion. "No. I told you, I'm not going to prison."

She sighed and leaned back, staring up at that tasteful ceiling yet again. "All right."  
"How long are they going to be?"  _Why do they always ask that?_

"I don't know. I gave them a lot to think about. Don't expect it to be too soon."  _If I did my job right, then likely one or two will have doubts about convicting him. They'll talk to the others, and one-by-one, they'll manage to all convince each other that they just can't do that to the poor kid. If Peter did his job, they don't have much to consider, he's guilty as sin._

Her heart dropped when someone knocked on the door. "Jury's back," the bailiff informed them.

It had been barely ten minutes.

Once everyone was seated, Judge Frollo turned to the jury box. "Jury, do you have a unanimous verdict?"

"Yes Your Honor," the foreman replied.

"What say you?" He looked bored. Elsa wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.

"We find the defendant, Miguel Kuzco Jr., guilty."

Elsa blinked away tears. Kuzco screamed. Peter just watched the jury in shock.  _He won._   _He actually beat me._ She saw his look of surprise and gave him a respectful nod as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She was a little proud of him, and it only made it hurt more.

"Miguel Kuzco," Frollo began, "you're to be confined to the New York State Correctional facility for twenty-five years." Kuzco's jaw dropped.

"Can we still take the deal?" he asked, desperation beyond clear in his tone. He was positively frantic.  _He might just try to run. I'm not too keen on seeing him tackled to the ground._

"No, Kuzco," she replied, choking back a sob.

He looked around the courtroom, seeing all eyes on him. He bolted. An officer had him on the ground before he even made it past the first row. "No, this isn't right! I can't go to prison! I can't. Please, Elsa, you have to do something."

"We appeal," she offered.

"Noted," Frollo growled. With that, Miguel was taken away to spend the next twenty-five years of his life behind bars.  _Stupid fucking kid. You had so many chances._

The court was dismissed.

Tiana caught Elsa again on the way out. Elsa didn't have any words for her, but they held hands as they walked out of the courthouse. She couldn't recall the last time a case had shaken her this badly. It hurt even more than winning the Thompson case had. "Is there anything I can do?" Tiana asked, once they were back in Elsa's car.

She didn't answer. She didn't know how.

"I'll get you pizza?" Tiana offered.

This got a response. Elsa turned to her, her eyes clear enough to meet Tiana's. "You hate pizza."

"I do not!"

Elsa quirked an eyebrow at her.

"I hate a lot of pizza. It's just all so by-the-numbers, there's no soul, just like fast food. Motorino is pretty good though, and I know they're your favorite."  
They hadn't gone in at least two years. "Tiana," Elsa began, not sure where she was going to go from there.

"Come on. Let me drive," Tiana suggested, as Elsa reached her driver's side door. "I'm not sure you can even see the road."

She had a point. They switched places, and Tiana took them to Elsa's favorite pizza place, her hand never leaving Elsa's as she navigated the treacherous New York streets.


	26. Anna - I Do Want to Pet Goats

The lunch bell rang, and Anna watched the clock as her class filed out. In less than six hours, she was supposed to be meeting Esmeralda. She hadn't expected it to be an issue. Moana was supposed to have taken care of that the night before. They were going to be official, and the incessant need that had not left her since Elsa's visit would have been satiated. Instead they'd cuddled and saved any discussion of their relationship for later.  _You sound like a horny teenager, Anna._  She wasn't so much scared that she'd try to leap into bed with her former lover, only that her current situation would make things as awkward as possible and that she could end up making a decision that she'd regret.  _I'm going in circles._

 _I should cancel. That's the only logical conclusion._ _At least_ _until I'm feeling a bit more stable in my relationship. I just can't be alone with her._ She groaned. She hated how she sounded. She doubted even the hormone-riddled kids in her class were going as crazy as she was.  _Wait, that's it. I can't be alone with her._

She charged out of her classroom, avoided bowling over a few teenagers, and knocked on a door.

"It's open," came the reply from inside.

She flung it open and slammed her palms onto Giselle's desk. "Wanna hang out with Esmeralda and me tonight?"

Giselle lifted an eyebrow at her. "Huh?"

 _Right. Context._ "We're trying to be friends again, but I don't think I'm ready to be alone with her just yet. I know we weren't together for too long, but she was my first real crush – wow, that sounds horrible to Kristoff – so it's just still a little tough for me. So, be our buffer? Nani's babysitting."

"Does that mean that she can't be the buffer or that Olaf can't?" She eyed her suspiciously.

"Both?" Anna offered her most pitiful look, using an exaggerated version of the pout she'd perfected when she was younger. "Pretty please? I'll pay for your dinner."

She sighed. "Fine, but I have to cancel on Jack."

"Can't you just leave him tied up?"

"I can still take it back."

Anna took a step back. "Sorry. I don't know how it works. But you'll come?"  
She grabbed her lunch from under her desk and opened it, revealing a wrap and some homemade chips. "I'll come. Now are you joining me for lunch or are you going to let me enjoy the food my boyfriend made me in peace?"

"Can I have some?"

Giselle hands her a chip.

Anna devours it in a single bite. "Fine, I'll go tell Esme the plan's changed. Do you have a good excuse I can offer?"

She shrugged and popped another chip into her mouth.

Anna grumbled and walked out.

She hesitated before her hand hit Esmeralda's door. She wasn't sure what she was scared of. The door opened on its own. "Oh, hey, Anna." Esmeralda stood in the doorway, staring at her, stopping mid-stride.

 _How am I even going to explain this? 'Hey, Esmeralda, I don't trust myself alone with you, so I invited Giselle to come with us.' Please say that's not actually what I'm going with._  "So, did you figure out where you wanted to go today?" They continued standing in the doorway.  _She's probably going somewhere._ Anna steps to the side.

Esmeralda doesn't move. "There's a restaurant I've been wanting to try out. I figured we'd probably just do that, maybe get some ice cream. If that's all right with you?" Anna chose to interpret this as 'If that's not too datey.'

"No, that sounds great. What kind of restaurant. Oh, is it okay if Giselle joins us? I was just talking to her and I kind of," she averted her gaze, hating how ridiculous her excuse sounded, "invited her."

Esmeralda studied her. "Uh, yeah, that's fine. She's kinda cool. I never really got the chance to spend much time with her."  
_I guess that's true. She's hung out with me and Nani a couple times – long before anything romantic happened, but I never really did introduce her to Giselle. I guess I just assumed they'd know each other. Their classrooms are right next to each other._ "She's really cool. I think you two would actually get along really well."  _Is it rude to compare BDSM and polyamory? I mean they're both weird, and new concepts to me, but I don't want to stick my foot in my mouth on the subject – again._ She shuddered, unable to shake the image of just how offended Giselle had looked when she asked about it when they were at Round Table Pizza.  _Don't say 'you're both kinky freaks.'_ "She's big into an alternative lifestyle as well."  _Why did I say that?_

Esmeralda's look grew more quizzical. "Anna, you are too. Did you forget that you're gay?"

"No, not like that!"  _We should not be discussing this in the middle of a high school's hallway – for so many reasons._  She grabbed Esmeralda's hand and dragged her into the classroom.

"Then just what do you mean?" she asked as Anna closed the door behind them. "Are you trying to set us up?"

Anna's eyes widened. She ignored the touch of jealousy. "No, Giselle's straight, I didn't mean it like that. I just think you two could be good friends. She's really cool."

"Still sounds like you're trying to set us up."

"I'm not!" Anna sighed. "Just meet her. It'll be great."

"All right." She continued to eye Anna suspiciously. "I guess we can all grab dinner." Anna didn't want to believe it, but she could swear that she looked disappointed.  _We both knew this wasn't a date. We don't work as a couple._

"Sounds great," Anna replied with as much forced cheer as she could muster. "Text me the address and we'll see you there."

A few hours later, Anna sat in the passenger seat as Giselle parked them in front of a ramshackle looking restaurant, with its name barely legible on a hand-painted sign. "Is she gonna sell our organs? I mean you two did end things kinda badly."

Anna glared at her friend. "We did not. She just likes interesting places. I'm sure the food is good."

"I thought she hadn't tried it yet."

Anna stared at the deathtrap of a building. "Maybe it's not so bad on the inside?"  
"If I see a single cockroach, I'm leaving."

Anna looked around to see if there were any on the outside. "We're just overreacting."

A motorcycle pulled up beside them, and the driver kicked out the stand, climbing off of the bike. She took off her helmet to reveal herself as Esmeralda. Crossing the distance between the two vehicles in a single stride, she knocked on Anna's window.

Anna jumped, but managed to collect herself enough to roll down the window. "Hi."  
"Hey." Esmeralda smiled at the driver. " Hi, Giselle."

Giselle waved.

"You look nervous." Esmeralda smirked at them. "I swear, I've heard great things. Don't judge a book by its cover. Really, Anna, you're an English teacher." She winked at her. Anna refused to accept that her heart fluttered.

"I thought it looked great," Anna lied.

"Just come take a look inside. If you're still too scared, we can go someplace else."

Neither Giselle nor Anna could come up with a justification to not go with that plan. They reluctantly followed Esmeralda inside. Anna sees a sign, set proudly against the wall, advertising one of their more interesting food items. "They serve tongue?" Anna asked, aghast.

"They have a surprisingly extensive menu," Esmeralda replied, studying it. "I haven't had cow brain in years."  
Anna felt bile rising up in her throat. Just where the hell had she let Esmeralda take her.  _Organ theft is starting to sound both less scary and somewhat appropriate._ "Do they have normal food?"

Esmeralda handed her a menu and another to Giselle. "They have food I'm pretty sure you could both stomach. Just smell that air though, the spices, the meats, the fresh baked pitas, everything smells amazing. It's even better than I'd heard."

Anna just smelled entrails. "Yeah, it's pretty great."

Giselle sniffed experimentally. "It's not that bad. Definitely not as bad as it looked outside."

"Tell you what, I'll buy That way if you hate it, you're not out anything."

That deal was enough for the two other high school teachers. Neither one of them were capable of turning down a free meal. "Yeah, that sounds fine," Giselle offered.

"I guess," Anna agreed, looking over the menu. They had gyros, she'd already learned that she liked those.  _Maybe some_ _falafel_ _?_

"I could go for some shawarma. Though I doubt it's half as good as the one Jack made me."

"Who's Jack?"

Anna could see the mischievous glint in Giselle's eyes. She knew just how open Esmeralda was from what Anna had told her. "My boyfriend," she replied, after a moment's consideration.  _Good, I want to at least have my food before we get into that discussion._

"So what're you two getting?" They were now at the front of the line.

"Chicken shawarma," Giselle told the cashier. "And a diet coke."  
"We only have RC."

"That then."

Anna chewed on her lip. She didn't want to seem too boring to her old flame. "I'll have a lamb gyro and some baklava?" She pronounced it as something closer to 'back lava,' but both Esmeralda and the cashier managed to refrain from laughing. "And some water."

He nodded. "And you?"

"How's your brain?"  
He laughed. "Probably a bit damaged at this point, but I think it still works okay."

She gave him a playful smile and Anna gritted her teeth. "I know the feeling there. Oh well, what's the point in having one if you're not gonna abuse it? I'll have a cow brain gyro."

He smiled back at her. "All right. That'll be sixteen-fifty."

She paid and led them to a corner booth. "He's kinda cute."

The grinding of Anna's teeth only increased.  _I_ _have a girlfriend. I think_ _._ _Do I? I mean we're dating. I'd certainly be jealous if she got together with someone else, but clearly I can say that about Esmeralda too._ She only smiled in reply.

Esmeralda leaned back in the seat, her hands behind her head. "So, Giselle. Tell me about yourself. It's been a while."

 _Ye_ _s,_ _perfect. Give me some time to be a little less crazy._ "I could say the same to you. I haven't talked to you in ages, not since you broke my poor girl's heart." She threw a protective arm around Anna.  _I regret everything. I should've brought Nani._

Esmeralda sat up, meeting Giselle's glare. She fidgeted with her jacket. "I – I'm sorry."

"I was really rooting for you two."

Esmeralda took a sip of Anna's water. Anna could see the fear in her ex's eyes. She had not been expecting that.  _She shouldn't have been expecting it. We're trying to make our friendship work again._

"Giselle!" Anna interjected.

She waved her off. "I'm not going to beat her up or anything. I just need her to know that I'm not okay with how she handled things. I can move past it, but I can be pretty protective of you, and I don't approve of anyone hurting you."  _I swear, she's almost as invested in my relationships as I am._

"I'm gonna go refill her water, and maybe grab one for myself." She had managed to drain the cup under Giselle's grueling gaze. "I'm sorry, Anna."

Giselle crossed her arms.

When Esmeralda returned a minute later, Giselle seemed to have relaxed some. "I hear you helped her pick out where to take Moana on their first date. It sounded like it went pretty well, so I suppose I should thank you for that. I just want her to have a nice healthy relationship. She deserves it after all that time with Kristoff."  _She just managed to insult Kristoff and Esmeralda with a single sentence. This was a FANTASTIC idea._

Esmeralda nodded. "I care a lot about Anna. We weren't good for each other, but I'm hoping that Moana can be good for her."

"She's definitely up there in who all I think would be best for her."  
Anna gaped at Giselle.  _No._ _N_ _o no no no no no. You are not telling Esmeralda about her!_ "So, like I was telling you earlier, Giselle is kinda like you. Not the poly thing, I don't think, I mean she does flirt with me a lot, so maybe, but Jack's not exactly just her boyfriend." She gave Giselle an imperious glare.  _Take that!_

She smiled back at her. "Yeah, he's my slave."

Anna's jaw dropped again.  _Why am I the only person here with any shame?_

"Oh, cool." Esmeralda's face lit up. "I've only messed around a little bit with that stuff. So that's what Anna meant by 'alternative lifestyle' earlier."

"Did you really say that?" Giselle turned to Anna, who promptly shriveled under her gaze.

"Well, I wasn't sure how else to say it. I didn't want to say anything too bad. I still remember how badly I missed up last time."

She shook her head. "You sound like an Evangelical or something."

Anna pouted.

"Hey, plenty of them are closeted gay people too," Esmeralda chimed in. "You fit in perfectly, Anna."

"I'm not closeted anymore," she whined. "It just took me a while."

"You were thirty." Giselle rested her hand on her shoulder. "We're all really proud of you for finally figuring it out, but 'it took me a while' is the understatement of the century."

Her pout grew, her lower lip protruding as she lowered her head to look up at them. "We all come out at our own pace."

"Yeah, I still remember when I finally realized it. I was twelve, I felt so dumb. It was obvious in hindsight, the way I felt about Scary Spice, but it just took me a while."

Anna glared at her.

"No way." Giselle's hand slapped the table. "I had a huge crush on Posh Spice."

"You're bi?"  
She shook her head. "I mean women are cute, but I don't think I'd ever be up for going that far. Though maybe with Posh Spice." She turned to Anna before quickly mouthing 'or Elsa.'

She hadn't even let herself think that name in several days, and was overwhelmed by just how jealous that made her feel. She glared back at her friend. "And just what do you mean by that?"

Esmeralda looked between the two of them, clearly confused.

"Well I mean if you're not going to go after her." She smirked.  _I thought she was dropping this. I have Moana. I'm fine with just Moana. I mean Moana is great and she's not 'just Moana' she's amazing._ A memory of Elsa holding her on a couch in front of a fire flooded her mind. She remembered waking up next to her. She swallowed and shook her head, trying to force the memory away.

"Don't be weird."

"What's up?" Esmeralda was still studying the two of them.

A tray of food was dropped in front of them. "Your food's ready. I threw in a couple extra baklava for you, and some chips and hummus." He winked at Esme.

She fluttered her eyelashes in return. "Thank you. You're too sweet," she studied his nametag, "Aladdin. That's an interesting name."

"My mom loved Arabian Nights." He shook his head. "I hated it so much growing up."

 _I may actually die of jealousy between Giselle and_ _Esme's bullshit_ _. This is just so ridiculous. I have Moana! I don't care who's seeing Esmeralda or –_  her heart skipped a beat  _– Elsa. I'm happy just_ _where_ _I am._ _Moana i_ _s amazing. I can't wait to see her next week._

"Earth to Anna." Esmeralda waved for her attention, the sandwich still in her hand. Brain splattered onto her plate. Anna watched it intermingling with the meat of her gyro.  _Can I bring myself to try it?_  "You've been spacing out for a bit."

"Sorry." She shrugged and picked up her sandwich, staring at the tiny bit of cow brain and trying to decide if it was worth it to pick it off, or if she could be as brave as she wanted to be.  _I'm starting a new life. My life. I can handle anything._ She bit into the sandwich. The lamb was great, but the bit of cow brain was almost enough to make her hurl.

"Everything okay?"

Giselle looked at her with obvious concern.  _At least they're not torturing me anymore._  "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot going on right now. Also I just ate a piece of cow brain and it was horrifying. I don't know how you do it." She stared at Esmeralda with something between awe and horror.

She laughed in response. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay." She took another bite, with only the lamb and toppings. She could definitely see why someone had recommended this place to Esmeralda.

"Did you have a crush on any of the Spice Girls?" Giselle asked, finally taking them back to the conversation their food had interrupted.

Anna shrugged. She hadn't really been too into them when she was younger. "Baby was cute?" she offered. She wished that figuring herself out had been that easy.

Giselle shrugged. "She was all right."  
"You're straight!"  
"She was definitely the least interesting," Esmeralda added. "Now I'm a little concerned about your taste in women."

"I have great taste." She stuck her tongue out at Esmeralda before taking another bite of her food. "That cashier clearly agrees."  
She blushed. "If I was on my own I'd have already taken him to the freezer for a quickie."

Anna resisted the new rush of jealousy, focusing on Moana. She was over Esmeralda. She was just being silly. "Well don't let us stop you."

She looked like she was genuinely considering it for a moment. Her eyes lingered over the man at the counter. "Nah, it can wait. I'm spending time with friends. I don't do that nearly enough. I have missed you, Anna. And I suppose you seem pretty cool so far, Giselle."

Anna is pretty certain that if it wasn't for how badass Esmeralda looked in her biker outfit, that Giselle would have been offended. Instead she replied "Thank you. You're pretty cool too."  _She is the bi-est straight girl._

"You handling everything all right since the divorce?" Esmeralda asked out of nowhere.  _As she always does._  "I know you said that it's good and that Olaf is managing really well, but what about you? You going to need us to start chipping in with groceries? You know we would, right?"

Giselle nodded. "I know that it's what you wanted, but it has to be tough to adjust to. I don't know what I'd do without Jack helping out."  _How the hell did we get on this topic?_

"Can we go back to the Spice Girls discussion? I'll find pictures and come up with a better answer."

"No, you've made your choice there and deeply lost our respect." Esmeralda beamed at her. "Now tell the truth. How are you doing?"

She blew out a breath and pouted at her friends. This was not fun. She was hanging out with friends, it was supposed to be a chance to take her mind off of things. And to prove that she could actually make her friendship work with Esme and wasn't at all a jealous wreck for no reason. "It's definitely tougher," she admitted. "I miss having someone to drop Olaf at school in the morning. I'm going to Monday and Tuesday, since I'll have both of them, but it'll make me late - I just don't trust Lilo without adult supervision in my house. But I am okay, really. You don't need to worry." She did some mental calculations for her bank account. With Kristoff's child support she had enough to cover everything, but it would be close. "I'm fine."

They didn't look like they believed her. "Your house has to cost a fortune," Giselle announced. "It's a pretty nice place, and now you're paying for it on your own."

"It's not that bad."

"Are you really going to tell me the mortgage isn't an issue?"

Anna shrugged. She'd been avoiding this topic the best she could. "Guys, please, stop. I'm fine. I'll manage. Maybe I should just work over the summer instead of visit -"  _shit, I haven't actually told Giselle that yet. She's just going to keep bringing it up._ "My sister."  _I meant to say Moana! That one is also true. I can't correct it, that'll just sound worse._

A Cheshire grin slowly spread across Giselle's face.  _Yep, I'm hearing about that on the ride home. Hopefully she can actually wait until then._  "Don't be ridiculous, Anna. We'll help you. We can chip in for groceries, take you out to eat, whatever you need. And you know I'm always up for babysitting."

Esmeralda nodded and gave Anna a toothy smile. "Of course we will." She pulled out twenty fives from her wallet and handed them to her. "Here, this ought to cover your next week's groceries."  _Why does she have that many fives?_

Giselle stared at her, her eyes narrowing. "I didn't realize we were doing this right now. She pulled out her own wallet. "I don't have any cash. Esmeralda, who the hell has cash? Let alone a huge bundle of fives. I swear I saw a bunch more behind that."  _She gets me._  
"The food cart owners lose money when they use their credit card apps and Voodoo Doughnuts is cash only. I'm not missing my cock and ball doughnuts."

Giselle's mouth opened, her jaw hanging there as she considered this information. "Their bacon maple doughnut is really good." She pulled out her phone, shaking her head. After tapping at it for a minute, she announced "There, I just transferred you $150." She held her head high, looking down at Esmeralda as if to say 'I'm the better friend.'

Anna just stared at the two of them.

Esmeralda glared at Giselle. "Well I'll babysit too. He can meet my goats."

Anna had to give it to her there. As strange of a place as Esmeralda's commune was for her son, she and her goats would be amazing.  _For Olaf. Not cause I want to pet goats_.  _I mean I do want to pet goats, but I just think it'd be fun for Olaf._  "I am definitely taking you up on that."

Esmeralda grinned. "Awesome! I've always wanted to be the cool aunt. I shall teach him the ways of the world."

"Just no drugs."

Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

"You let Snow White do drugs, it's a valid concern."

"She's fifteen. He's like, what? Four?" She dipped a chip in the humus and took a bite. "I'm far more responsible than that."

"He's five."

She shrugged.

Anna finished off her gyro.  _Seriously, this is so good._  "Thanks, you two. So much." She put the money in her wallet.  _Seriously, who has this many fives?_ They finished off their meals, Giselle answering a few questions about her lifestyle and Esmeralda doing the same for her. Anna just focused on the baklava. She had already learned more than enough about both.  _I just want Els - Moana. I just want Moana. I don't need anything weird, just her. She's amazing. And holy fuck she looks good in her suits. Yep, gay for Moana. Glad that's settled._

Outside, Esmeralda gave Anna a kiss on her cheek that made her shudder.  _Moana. Definitely Moana._  She climbed back onto her bike and waved at them. "See you tomorrow!" She revved the engine and sped off away from them.

"So, you're seeing Elsa this summer?" Giselle steepled her fingers, grinning at Anna over her fingertips. "Tell me everything."

"There's nothing to tell," Anna admitted as the climbed into Giselle's Nissan. "We haven't even talked yet. I've been too scared. I'm actively avoiding my sister's calls, and yet I somehow think I can manage visiting her. I love her so fucking much. Moana is amazing, but she's not Elsa. I think I could love her, I think she could be perfect for me. I just can't manage to stop thinking about Elsa."

Giselle pulled Anna into a hug. "It'll be okay, honey. I promise. Either you and Moana will work out, or Elsa will finally realize how she feels about you and you two can be together."

Anna looked up at her, wiping her eyes. "You really think she has feelings for me?"

"I think she'd be crazy not to." She squeezed Anna's shoulder. "You're an amazing woman, Anna, and both of them are lucky to have you."

Anna leaned against her as they drove, trying to take what more comfort she could from her. "I just need to get over this. We can just be sisters. That's all I really want."

Stopped at a light, Giselle squeezed Anna's shoulder. "You are sisters. Other than one little freakout, you managed to last two whole weeks with her. By then you'll be comfortable enough with Moana that you won't even have trouble with Elsa. No matter how much I might wish that you would. You're really cute together."

"I'll try. I mean being around her, not getting together with her. I just can't. I'm not ruining her relationship. I don't care how badly I want it, I don't care that I ache for her, I'll resist. Moana is amazing, and I'm so happy with her."

"I know you are. She's good for you. You'll be fine."

Anna nodded, clinging to her friend's arm. "Thank you. I just need to hold it together for this phone call on Saturday. Then I'll see Moana and she'll put Elsa out of my mind again. When I'm with her, she really is all that I want. I just need to be with her more and it'll be better."

Giselle held her for a while after they parked. Olaf was spending the night at Lilo's so Anna didn't have anywhere to be. She just let her friend sooth her worries. She'd take Sven for a walk when she felt a little better.


	27. Elsa - I've Made My Little Sister Cry

Tiana's arm wrapped around Elsa, pulling her close as they watched a show. After her loss the previous day, they'd spent most of the day together. Elsa hated how badly she'd handled it. She had never had a case affect her quite like that.

"Do you want me to cancel my trip on Monday?" Tiana kissed Elsa's temple, her arm wrapping protectively about her. "I want to be here for you."

Elsa shook her head, leaning into her partner's embrace. "I can't ask you to do that."  _No matter how badly I may want to._ "I'll be fine. I'm going back to work in the morning. I just needed a day to adjust. I'm used to expecting a new case with Kuzco every couple months."  _It's gonna be weird never representing him again. I guess we'll always have appeals._

"Elsa, you do know that you're more important than my work, right?" She pulled back, looking into her eyes. "Honey, I mean it. I know I put my work first a lot, but I'm always here for you. Whenever you need me."

Elsa studied her. Tiana had actually shown up when she needed her most. She'd left her alone a lot of late, but Elsa could hardly blame her for that. Maybe she was just worrying over nothing. "I know." She could almost believe it.  _I'm not sure how honestly either of us could ever say that our jobs don't come first._

"Just give me the word and I'll stay. I know how hard this case hit you. I promise, I don't need to work with the new chef in Seattle just yet." She rubbed a small circle on Elsa's shoulder. "Let me take care of you. "

"It's fine. Go on to Seattle, maybe check on Anna for me. I'm a little worried about her. I just need to get back to work. I'll have a new case and I'll be my usual self - kicking ass, taking names, making millions. I just have to get back on the horse instead of these paltry little things I've been settling."  _I just need to be in court. I'll feel better then._

Tiana kissed her cheek. "Okay. I'll go say hello to the beautiful redhead all on my own."

"Sleep with my sister and I'll break up with you."

She pouted, looking pitifully at Elsa. "Just over that? I'd let you sleep with her."

Elsa's glare silenced that.

"Fine. I'll behave. I suppose I must, after how you've been feeling."

Elsa's glare remained.

"I'll keep my hands to myself and just check on her. Anything you want me to ask?"

Elsa considered this. It had been over a week since she'd last heard from Anna, but they were supposed to talk on Saturday. "I guess just make sure that she's managing okay. Being a single parent had to be a big change."

"You're a good sister." Tiana squeezed her hand. "I'm sure she's just been busy. Have you tried calling her?"

"Too many times, but we're talking in two days. I'm just being crazy. I'm sure Olaf and Moana are keeping her plenty busy."

"Maybe I'll get to see Moana." She grinned.

Elsa patted her. "You're such a slut."

She placed her hand to her heart, feigning offense. "My, Elsa, if my father heard you talking like that." Her southern accent was on full display as she went on. "Treating his daughter like that. I don't think he'd approve of our marriage."

Elsa's heart skipped a beat. She stared at Tiana, her playful anger fading as she met her eyes. "We're not married."

Tiana blinked and averted her gaze, pulling away, almost imperceptibly. "Well I guess we won't be if you keep talking about me that way."

Elsa watched her. It seemed like she was genuinely concerned about this. "I'm sorry I never got to meet your dad," she offered, unsure of what else could be bothering her.

Her look grew distant. "He would've loved you. Granted, he didn't know I was gay, but he would've come around pretty quickly once he saw how great you are."

She relaxed a bit, leaning into Tiana. "Well I'm sorry I didn't get to meet him."

"I just hate that our kids will never meet their grandfather."

Elsa stared at her partner. She was glad she wasn't drinking anything at the time, as it would be all over the coffee table. She swallowed, trying to avoid seeming as shaken as she was.  _I was so enjoying avoiding this conversation. She only brought it up for the first time last month, and now she just expects me to have already agreed to it?_ "Tiana," she began, only to realize she had nowhere to go with it.

"Yes?" She looked nervous. It hurt Elsa to see it. She knew how big this conversation was.  _Wasn't today supposed to be for relaxing?_

"So you really do want kids?"  _Perfect. Make yourself sound even dumber._

Tiana swallowed and turned her gaze to the coffee table. Elsa was not exactly hard to read at the moment. "Of course I do."

_I swear we had this conversation before and neither of us were that sure. What does she mean 'of course?'_

"Don't you?" She cut Elsa's thoughts short.

Elsa stared back at her. Her heart felt like it was going to jump right out of her chest. "Not really. At least not yet. I don't know if I ever will, but I don't want to ruin what we have. A kid would change things. Maybe someday. After I'm a named partner. I don't have time for a kid yet." She watched her girlfriend's eyes for any clue as to just how badly she'd fucked things up.

To her surprise, Tiana's poker face held. She sighed, her back straight, and nodded. "You're right." Elsa swore she could hear hurt in her voice but she couldn't be certain. "We both have full lives. We wouldn't have time for a child." She rose from the couch and turned away.

"Honey?" Elsa started to follow her.

Tiana waved her hand, gesturing for her to stay. "I'm just grabbing us some wine."

The two avoided the topic for the rest of the evening and managed to relax, but Elsa could feel that something had changed. She was worried that she'd lose her girlfriend if she didn't do anything, but she wasn't sure what she could do.  _I'm not ready. I'm just not._  Tiana seemed as affectionate as ever, and they were able to relax and have a good night, but it only took her mind from the Kuzco case by giving her something new to worry about.

Coffee in hand, Elsa sat at her desk, blinking away the last remnants of sleep. She was not feeling up for the day. She checked her email and found nothing too interesting waiting for her - discussion on a few cases that were all but resolved, someone asking for legal advice who she promptly referred to an associate, and a memo for an upcoming partners meeting.

Before she had time to busy herself with something else, a knock sounded from her door. "Come in," she called, expecting Albert.

Instead she was greeted by a tall brunette in a well-fitted pinstripe suit with a short skirt. Elsa quirked an eyebrow at her as she approached the desk. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, Ms. Agnarrsen, you're in, hi." She paused a few feet into the office, looking toward the chair in front of Elsa's desk. "Could I steal you for a minute?"

Elsa glanced at the time in the corner of her monitor. She didn't have anything pressing.  _I ought to at least try to be decent to associates. Maybe I'll find another Belle. I'd rather encourage her than discourage her this time._ "My time is yours."  _No. Too far. I hate it._ "Just don't take too long."  _Why is being nice so hard? I swear there's a middle ground. Am I just rusty?_

She nodded and threw herself into the chair, tossing a manilla envelope on the table. "I have my first case as first chair tomorrow. I mean I know what I'm doing – I think – but I just need to be sure. I mean I don't want to cost the firm anything if I could be doing better, right? I've second chaired a lot, and I did fine in mock trial, I just," she paused, staring at Elsa through widened brown eyes, "Please help. You're the best litigator our firm has. Your firm."

Elsa winced, hopefully imperceptibly.  _I am not. If I was the best litigator I wouldn't have lost on Tuesday. I wouldn't be feeling like this._ "I'm sure Mr. Gaston would be a bigger help to you, Ms. -"  _right, I never learn associates names. Okay, there's somewhere I can at least be better. If I can't be the best lawyer, I can at least be a decent boss._ "Sorry, what was your name?"

She extended her hand. "Amelia Thermopolis." Her grip was impressive. Elsa matched it the best she could and shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you for real. You're a bit of a hero to me. I know they say never meet your heroes – sorry, not important. Please help me get ready?"

Elsa took a breath as she measured up this woman.  _I'm just going to disappoint her._ She nodded before she had a chance to fall any deeper down that hole.  _It doesn't matter how badly I fucked things up last time, I still have enough trial experience that I can help her. Even if that's all I can do, I'll do it._ She hated how this case had gotten to her.  _Tiana's right. I'm still not ready for this again. I should've stayed home._ It was too late for that now, however, and she had a job to do. "What's the case?"

"I doubt it'll be too interesting to you, it's pretty small, but I'm really excited about it. My client – our client was wrongfully terminated because their employer violated HIPAA."

Elsa considered this. "What was their employer? HIPAA is pretty specific. Also you can't sue for violating it, are you sure we have a case?"  _Maybe with wrongful termination she could manage, it would depend on the exact specifics, but you just report HIPAA violations, not sue over them._

Ms. Thermopolis shook her head excitedly. "He worked for a hospital, but that's actually not true, there is legal precedent in New York that would allow you to sue for a HIPAA violation."

Elsa quirked an eyebrow at her. "Go on."

"Chanko v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., from a couple years ago, it established that you can sue over a medical practioner's breach of confidentiality."

Elsa nodded approvingly.  _I'll have to look into that at some point. Maybe we finally found another associate who's competent at research. I'll make sure she's competent in court too._ "All right. So we can sue. What are the facts of the case?"

The associate's grin grew wider, she was practically salivating over the case.  _This is gonna be good._  "Our client was on drugs. He saw his hospital as a patient when he was in an accident – not at work, in a car accident – and they tested him. He came up positive for heroin, and they fired him."  
Elsa chewed on her lip.  _They certainly have good cause, but if they only know because of the test -_ "Nothing ever happened on the job that gave them cause to suspect?"

She shook her head. "No! I've even received his performance reviews, they were all excellent. They didn't know a thing until he came in as their patient. They tested him and fired him on the spot, and even told him that it was because of the drug test. This case wins itself."  
She smiled at the enthusiastic young attorney. She missed that vigor. "Yeah, you have a a slam dunk of a case. What do you need my help with?"  
Amelia flushed, averting her gaze. "I'm just nervous. If I mess up a case this easy, then there's no way I'll have a future here, and I have no experience."

That hurt.  _Not like I'm in a different position. I never should have fucked that case up so badly. It was my job to manage my client. I could have gotten him to_ _take the deal_ _._ "I won't let that happen. When's the case? Tomorrow, right?"

She nodded.

"Then let's get started."

Elsa spent the rest of the day readying her new pupil for trial. They went over her opening statement, her direct, what she was expecting for cross, and how to deal with the opposition. "Who's opposing counsel?"

She groaned. "This dick from my class."  _I know how that goes. Hopefully she has better luck._  "I don't know how he was even able to get this case. He's as junior as I am, why would a big hospital leave it to him?"

Elsa pursed her lips. That was weird. "No second chair?"

She shook her head. "No, there's some other lawyer, I didn't recognize the name, second chairing him. A Mr. O'Connell."

Elsa nodded knowingly, but hid any response beyond that.  _He's good. If he trusts this kid to first chair, then he must be good too._ "That means he's not as good as you. He still has to have training wheels. We trust you to handle this on your own. Don't let this kid – what's his name?"

"Josh, I mean Mr. Bryant."

"Right. Don't let him intimidate you. He probably has less experience than you do, you've second chaired a number of cases, you've proven yourself already, you don't need any help here. You've got this." Elsa hesitated, but put an arm on Amelia's shoulder. The verbal abuse and mistreatment she'd endured as an associate may have hardened her into the woman she was today, but it had scared off plenty of promising attorneys, and cost her more than enough already. She wasn't going to repeat her firm's mistakes. "We've gone over everything. I have no doubt you'll win this." _Especially when literally every ounce of fact and law seems to be on her side._

She smiled, placing her hand on Elsa's. It was oddly intimate, but Elsa maintained her composure. She could allow some level of familiarity. "You really think that? I'm not just gonna screw it up?"

 _It's like talking to myself._ "Yes. I'm sure."

That seemed to muliffy her. "I'll go finish up my other work for the day. Thank you so much, Ms. Agnarrsen. I really think I can manage it now."  
Elsa beamed at her.  _At least I can make someone feel better._ "There's not a doubt in my mind. It wasn't any trouble. You have a good day."

She smiled back and left the office, presumably headed for her cubicle. Elsa barely managed to sit down before another knock came at her door. "Who is it?" She called, not up for another surprise. She'd already spent her entire day on the last one.

Gaston peaked his head in. "You finally done with her? Not like you to work with an associate. Or were you up to something else?" He winked at her.

Elsa groaned. "I'm taken."

"Associates don't count."

She glared all the harder at him.

"Fine. I was just joking. I've definitely never slept with an associate."

"Don't. You'll be sued." _It's not even worth it to try to argue the morality with him._ "You're her boss."

He grinned. "So then you'd be fair game?"

"Still gay."

"Hypothetically."

She sipped from her cold, forgotten coffee. She was going to need a new cup. "Albert, did you come in here just to annoy me or is this just the prelude to something worse?"

His teeth shined audaciously as he sat down in front of her, his grin never faltering. "I just can't resist pushing your buttons."

"When's the last time you successfully found a woman's button?"

He paused at that, his smile fading for just a moment before it grew even larger. "Touche. That's a good one. Okay, so, I wanted to check on you. I know how hard that loss was hitting you. The Kuzcos were great clients – hopefully still are – it really sucks what happened."

She shook her head. "I should've done better." They'd already hashed out this conversation the previous day, but clearly Gaston felt it was worth a second go.

"How?" His voice was patient, kind, nothing at all like it had been a moment ago. "How could you have done better? I've talked to Mr. Kuzco – the old one. He's definitely upset, but he doesn't seem at all disappointed in you. You did an amazing job in court, better than anyone should have."

Elsa was already fighting back tears.  _Damn it. I thought I was doing better by now._ "I got Pan to offer him five years. I could've talked him into taking it. I should have done more."

Gaston's eyes widened, as he stared at her, agape. "You what?"

Elsa stared back. "What do you mean?"

"You talked the assistant DA into offering five years for felony murder?"  
"Well it would've been burglary, technically."

"Five years. For felony murder. That's a fifteen year minimum without any of the other charges that'd normally be stacked on top of it."

Elsa nodded. "Yep."

"And with no case you managed to get a plea deal for five years. It doesn't matter that he didn't take it, Kuzco was a fucking idiot. You managed to earn that deal. You may be an even better attorney than me."

On a normal day she would have agreed immediately, in as biting a tone as possible. Today, she couldn't. She only shrugged.

"Well, that brings me to my other point. You clearly need to get back on the horse, and I'm bored. I found us the perfect case. The client is even innocent this time, so it'll be way easier. Come on, do it with me. It'll be fun."

She shrugged again. "What's the case?"

"So you'll do it?" His face lit up in another massive grin.

"I haven't said that yet."

"You will. It'll be fun."

"Then tell me about the case so I can decide!"  
He shook his head. "No. The funk you're in, I need a commitment first. If I tell you the facts, you'll just try to talk yourself out of it. I need a yes. Come on, play with me. It'll be great. Agnarrsen and Gaston, together at last, fighting side by side."

"If I say yes will you stop pitching our new buddy cop show?"

He considered this for a moment. "Yes."

Elsa groaned. "Then fine."

He clapped her on the shoulder, a bit more roughly than was strictly necessary. "You mean it? That's great! I promise you won't regret it.

She already regretted it. "Tell me about it."

"Well, it's another murder case." She regretted it more. "But guess who we're going up against? The new DA!" He didn't give her time to guess.

"Facilier?"  _That's what all the excitement is about?_

"Yes!" His grin was growing somewhat intimidating, resembling a wolf's bared fangs more than a human smile. "I've wanted to face off against him for years. I never got the chance back when he was working at Badun & Badun. Now I can finally do it. I knew he wouldn't stick with that two-bit firm for long, but I never expected my chance to face him across the table would come in criminal work."

"Sounds more like you want to take him on the table than face him across it."

Gaston's eyes narrowed, but his grin finally vanished. "Some of us aren't satisfied only facing off against incompetent lawyers all the time."

He had her there. "Pan's getting better."

"You almost beat him when the entire case was in his favor."

"But I didn't."

He nodded his head. "Okay, maybe he's a little better. He was still bottom of your class for a reason."

 _Why do I tell him things?_ "What else can you tell me? Or do I just have to listen to you blather on about your man crush all day."

"I could go on about him for a while. Some of the cases he's won. I am so excited!" He met her gaze.  _I wonder if_ _I could set them up._  "Right. Sorry. Well, I don't know the judge, someone named Vasilovich." Elsa's ears perked up at that.  _Since when is he working in the city?_ "Other than that, just another dumb kid who was dating someone he clearly shouldn't have been and the police always want to go after the boyfriend."

"Vasilovich? Vlad Vasilovich?" The rest of the statement had just been white noise. She knew precisely what this would mean for her.  _Why did I even come into work today?_

"I think so. Why? You know him?"

She gritted her teeth. "Yep. He was Anastasia's mentor."

"Anastasia?" He was clearly struggling to place the name. "Oh, right, your ex-girlfriend! The one with the shitty little lawfirm."

"That's the one."

"You're still friends, right?"  _Here we go._

Elsa wasn't even sure how to reply there. She shrugged. "We were. She's pissed at me again."

"Well whatever you did, just apologize."

Flinging herself from her chair, Elsa took a step toward the massive man. "I didn't do anything wrong. She's just being a crazy bitch, like she always is, because she always thinks she's the better person. Well, for once she's wrong. I'm not apologizing for shit."

He met her with a half-smile, holding his ground. "I didn't say you were wrong, I said to apologize. We need whatever help we can get. I guarantee Facilier will have more."

Grinding her teeth, she took another step until their eyes were even. He only had an inch or two on her and she was wearing heels. He faltered, taking half a step back. She almost growled as she turned away from him. "Fine," she spat. "I'll talk to her on Monday. Maybe she'll have cooled down enough by then."

Gaston had the brains to quit while he was ahead. It could wait a few days, the arraignment wasn't for a few more weeks. He held up his hands in surrender. "I promise it'll be fun," he offered meekly.

She rolled her eyes. "I guess I'll finally find out if you're half as good as they say you are."

His teeth flashed. "I'm better."

That weekend, Elsa was able to sleep in, enjoying her time with Tiana. She wasn't going to see her for most of a week, and they had decided to make the most of it. Elsa was spent, recovering in bed from another several hours of fun, while Tiana was in the kitchen working her magic. Her phone rang.

She stared at it, taking a few moments to process what it was and why she should care. Then she saw the picture of her sister. It was almost a decade out of date, but it was enough to stir her from her reverie. She grabbed it, a second before it would've gone to voicemail, and answered the call. "Morning, Anna."

Anna giggled. "It's like five there, isn't it?"

Elsa pulled the phone away from her face to check.  _Holy fuck._ "Four-thirty," she countered.

She heard sighing from the other end of the phone. "I'm sorry I haven't called in a while."

Elsa shook her head, pulling the sheet around her. "It's fine. It's only been like two weeks. I wasn't worried."  _I'm so glad she's okay._

"Things have just been crazy here. Moana and I finally had our first official date. What's been going on with you?"

Elsa groaned. This was not what she wanted to discuss at the moment. "Eh, nothing to worry about. I've already dealt with all of it."  _Well most of it. I still have Anya to deal with on Monday._ She pulled the sheet over her head.  _Why did I agree to that?_

"Elsa, please." She was starting to sound worried. "You can tell me about it. What happened? I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

 _I guess I had wanted to talk to her about it. Maybe I can finally stop feeling so guilty if even Anna thinks it's not my fault._ "It was just this case I had. The kid had it coming, he just kept committing worse and worse crimes, but I kind of cared about him." She hesitated. She hated talking about this. Anna didn't need to see this part of her, she didn't need to be vulnerable. "I lost. It's fine."

"What?" It came out in almost a scream. She was shocked.  _I guess she still thinks of me as her invincible big sister._ "How did you lose? I mean you're the best. Did the other guy pull some sort of trick? Did your client lie to you? What happened?"

 _It is nice to have her worried about me, I suppose._ She shook her head. "No. Nothing like that. I just took an impossible case, convinced that I could win it anyway, and I couldn't. I didn't have a case to make, and my client wasn't willing to take the deal I got him."

"Well it sounds like it wasn't your fault, right?"

 _Didn't I have this conversation twice this week already?_ "I should've convinced him to make the deal. I fucked up. That's on me."  
Silence came over the phone. Had she been too harsh? "Elsa, you can't blame yourself. You clearly did everything you could, or else it wouldn't be hurting you so much. You cared about him, whoever he was, and it shows. I'm sure the jury saw that too. It's likely why you were offered that plea."  _That's not how it works._  "You didn't fail him. He failed you. I should've been there for you when you needed me, I'm sorry I wasn't." She could hear Anna choking back a sob.  _Great. Now I've made my little sister cry._ "You're amazing, Elsa, and he was clearly lucky to have you as his lawyer. I doubt anyone else would have cared half as much. I love you." She coughed. "Please don't be so hard on yourself, okay? For me?"

Elsa sighed.  _How the hell can I say no to that?_ "I'll try."

She could hear her smiling. "I'm so glad. Did I miss anything else big? I'm on a roll for cheering you up. I can keep going."

Chuckling, Elsa replied, "It's fine. The other stuff is managable, this is the one that was really hurting. Thank you, Anna. You're a good sister."

"It's no problem." Her voice cracked. Elsa stared at the phone.  _Bad connection?_

"Now will you tell me about your date, already? I can't go out anywhere without ending up in the tabloids. What's it like?"  _It's been years since I had a proper date. We should fix that._

The cheer returned to Anna's voice. "It was amazing. She's apparently a huge nerd. Nani had neglected to inform me of that part. We ended up marathoning Star Trek, and it's way better than it seemed when Kristoff would try to get me to watch it. We also went to a nice tapas place – it's not a sex thing – and I think I really like her. Nothing more than cuddling happened. Why am I telling you that? But I had a really great time and I can't wait to see her again. It's just a few more days! Oh, and she met Olaf! Well, met him again. They get along really well. She bought him some flying game for the Playstation you got him and he's been really enjoying it. I might end up with two pilots in the family." She paused, clearly realizing what she just said. "Not that we're anywhere near that yet! I'm gonna shut up now."

Elsa couldn't keep from giggling. She was feeling better than she had in weeks. Better than she'd felt since she'd last seen Anna. "Your secret's safe with me. It sounds like you're a really cute couple. I hope I get to meet her."

That stopped her. Anna seemed surprisingly lacking in a response for once.

"Anna? You there? Sorry, maybe it's too early to talk about her meeting your family. I wasn't trying to judge her or anything."  _I mean she already met Olaf. It seemed reasonable._

"No, it's okay, yeah, that'd be great, definitely, sounds cool. Just not sure when it could happen. I mean she doesn't live out here so it'd be hard to manage it with you visiting. We'll just have to wait and see. Maybe we could work it out eventually."

"Okay." Elsa wasn't sure what more to say.  _Is she worried I'd handle her like I did Kristoff? I was ju_ _st_ _being protective of my fifteen-year-old sister, and with good reason apparently. She didn't even love him. Wait, okay, I can see it now. I definitely still sound over-protective._ "I promise I'll play nice."

"I know you will." She blew out a breath, causing a crackle in Elsa's ear. "I'm just scared that I'm rushing into things again. Don't worry about it. You know me."

A slight smile appeared on Elsa's face. Anna was being absolutely adorable about her new girlfriend. She was even more into her than Gaston was into Facilier. "I think you're doing a good job. You took things slow, you got to know each other first, and now you have real feelings for each other. You don't need to worry. You're not doing anything wrong."

"Thank you." Anna sounded like she wanted to cry. "Lilo, if Sven doesn't want to play don't make him. I'm sorry he bit you, but you bit him first. I have to go. Love you, Elsa."

The call ended and Elsa stared at her phone. After a moment's pause she started laughing. She felt bad about it, but she was just so glad she wasn't the one having to deal with that stuff. Then it hit her.  _Shit. I really don't want kids._


	28. Anna - She's All I Need

A knock came from the front door. Anna stopped in the middle of tidying up a mess of toys that the kids had made over the weekend to go answer it.  _Wow she's early. I guess I didn't need to pick her up._ She checked her reflection in the mirror and straightened her blouse before knocking a bit of dust from it. When she finally opened the door, she felt confident and presentable with her hair in a messy bun, her low-cut blouse fixed, and her pencil skirt miraculously unmarred by the dusting. She normally would have cleaned first, then dressed, but Moana had been three hours early the previous week, and she was not willing to be caught by surprise again.

She was shocked to find Tiana standing in her doorway. "Hey." Tiana gave a slight wave, as her eyes drifted over Anna's form for only a moment, before stepping inside and ridding herself of a large hat that Anna suspected was meant to conceal her identity. It did a poor job of it.

"What?" Anna stared at her as she made her way to the couch.

"Elsa didn't tell you I was coming?"

She shook her head, continuing to stare.

Tiana made an exaggerated sigh as she reclined on the sofa. "I'm in Seattle for the week. I promised your sister that I'd drop in to check on you. She's been really worried about you. She didn't say a thing? She told me she'd mention it when you two talked on Saturday. There's no way she forgot so badly that she didn't even bother to text you afterward."

Anna walked over to the coffee table in front of Tiana and picked up her phone. She did indeed have a message from her sister. "I meant to tell you the other day, but you ran off in a hurry. Tiana should be dropping by sometime this week." It had only been sent an hour earlier. Anna threw her hands in the air before dropping the phone back on the table. "She didn't tell me a thing until fifty-five minutes ago," Anna groaned.

Looking up at her, Tiana giggled. "Well I hope you're not too put out. I am always happy to see my favorite sexy redhead."

"Every redhead is your favorite." Anna knew her game.

She shrugged. "You got me, but you're still the best of them. Unfortunately, Elsa made me promise to behave myself, so I can only admire you from afar."

"You're like two feet from me."

"That's still far too far when I think of the various things I could be doing if I was only touching you."

Anna shuddered. She wasn't sure if she was creeped out, annoyed, or aroused. Likely some combination of the three, but this was not at all what she needed. "I need to go pick Moana up in an hour and a half. You can tell Elsa you've checked on me. Mind getting out of here?"

Tiana frowned, looking on the verge of tears. Anna wondered how much of it was an act. "I'm just trying to look after my future sister-in-law, is that really so bad? Speaking of family, where is Olaf?" She glanced around the living room, looking for any sign of the boy.

"He's at Nani's. Satisfied? Or would you like to go check on him too?"  _I shouldn't be so annoyed. It's actually really sweet of Elsa to ask her to do this. I just already have enough romantic complications without Tiana trying to throw herself in. Now if this was a sign that Elsa really did feel about me more than – no, shut up, Anna._

"I have a wonderful idea," she purred.

Anna's eyebrows shot up. "I'm not having a threesome with you."  _Without Elsa._

"That's a much better idea. I was just going to suggest that I make dinner for you and your date. Don't worry, I'd get out of your hair afterward. Unless you wanted me to watch. Or join in."

Anna stopped short. She wanted to refuse, to avoid anything that would offer a temptation beyond the woman she wanted to be with. She still hadn't gotten laid and if she wasn't forcing all of her frustration into anger, then she'd have likely already been in Tiana's lap. However, it was tough to top having the world's most famous chef personally make dinner for you and your date.  _Shit._  "And you promise you'll behave?"

She held up two fingers. "Scout's honor."

"I am almost certain you weren't a boy scout."

Tiana spread her legs and looked down. "Care to check?"

 _This is such a bad idea._ "I'll take your word for it, sir."

Tiana blinked and leered at her before finally breaking into a hearty laugh, turning towards the armrest as she tried to contain herself. "That was a good one. There might be more of your sister in you than I thought."  _Don't picture that. Don't picture that._

"Of course. We are family after all."  _And family doesn't sleep together. Or kiss. Or put various body parts inside of each other. Moana, get here already!_

"What time will your date be getting here?"  
Anna picked her phone back up to check the time. "Probably around six, but she was really early last time. She likes to surprise me."

"Well I'll plan for around six then. Any preference for dinner?"

She shrugged. "I assume you know better than I do there. I'll eat anything, as long as it's not too weird. Moana seems flexible too."  _Don't – no, do picture that. She's game. It'll happen tonight!_  "I'm sure whatever the famous Tiana Rose fixes for us will be absolutely perfect."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, you know." She tapped a finger on her thigh. "I'll have to see what you have. I don't suppose you'd be up for making a quick grocery run?"

 _It'll keep me away from her for a while._ "Sure. What do you need?"

"Give me a minute." She went to the kitchen to inspect Anna's supplies.

 _I haven't been grocery shopping in a while. Where do you find the time? - Yesterday, when Nani had Olaf and I had nothing to do or most weekends when Kristoff has him. Those would have been perfect times. Too late to do anything about it now._ She watched Tiana rummage through her sparse pantry and cabinets, tsking when she found Anna wanting in various necessities.

She drew her phone from her pants pocket and tapped rapidly on it. Anna's phone chimed. "I just sent you a list. Hurry up, I want to get started before your date arrives."

Anna fled.  _I wonder if Moana would be up for that threesome or if Tiana is even serious._ She shook her head and focused on the road. Within half an hour, she managed to make it to QFC, purchase everything from the list, save for one item which Tiana had immediately offered a replacement for when Anna messaged her, and returned home.

The house was filling with the smell of something simmering on the stove and something else in the oven when the doorbell rang.  _I knew she wouldn't let me pick her up. Wait, it is actually her this time right? I don't have any other celebrity chefs visiting, right?_ She cautiously opened the door, peering through the crack to verify the identity of the new arrival before opening it the rest of the way and throwing her arms around Moana. She smelled like lilacs and cinnamon. "I missed you," Anna sighed, as she melted into the younger woman.

Moana held her upright and planted a soft kiss on her neck. "I missed you too," she whispered into Anna's ear.

When they finally separated, Anna was pleased to see the overnight bag in Moana's hand. She didn't acknowledge it, unsure of proper protocol there.  _Do we both just ignore the fact that we know what's going to happen? I mean she spent the night last time, so it's not exactly weird._

Before Anna could figure it out, Moana stopped in her tracks, halfway to the couch. "Why is Tiana Rose in your kitchen?"

Tiana waved at her. "Dinner will be another forty minutes."

"She's making dinner," Anna added, redundantly.

"I see that." Moana continued to stare.

 _What do I even say?_ "Surprise?" she offered.

"I'll say." Moana finally turned back to Anna, confusion clear in her eyes. "How do you two know each other?"

 _That one I can actually answer!_ "She's dating my sister."

"Your sister is Elsa Agnarrsen. Obviously. Your name is Anna Agnarrsen, it's not like it's a common name. I'm dumb."  _I still can't believe the whole world knew when I didn't. Was I just willfully oblivious?_ She glanced again in the direction of the kitchen before hesitantly taking a seat on the sofa. "And why's she here? Is your sister here?"

"No, she's just visiting." Anna shrugged.  _Maybe if I play it off as a normal thing, Moana will believe me. Plus if having a celebrity over is a normal thing, I'll sound extra cool._

"Cool."  _Yes!_  "Well, dinner smells amazing."

"Yeah it does. You're going to love her cooking. She really is the best."

"Love you too, Anna!" Tiana called from the other room.

Moana looked impressed. Anna grinned, her cheeks coloring slightly. "So, should I be expecting this a lot once we're official?"

Anna managed to hide her panicked look with a bored shrug. "I guess that's up to Tiana."

"What's in it for me?" Tiana leaned against the kitchen doorway, looking in at them. "I'm doing it this time 'cause I promised I'd check in on her, Moana. Not that I'm ever against admiring your beautiful date. Seriously, you lucked out." She winked at Anna again, as Anna tried to decide if this made her look better or worse. "So unfortunately, you two will likely have to fend for yourselves in the future." She sauntered back into the kitchen, casting a lingering look over her shoulder.

"Now that's a shame. A girl could get used to this life." Moana wrapped an arm around Anna. "Getting to relax in my girlfriend's living room while world class chefs fix me dinner. This is basically what I expected when I became a pilot."

Anna blinked, blushing as she looked up at Moana, unsettling herself from her new position against her date's chest. It had taken a second for her words to sink in.  _Did she really just say that?_ Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to formulate a response.

Moana's eyes widened as she looked back at her. "I really just said that, didn't I?"

Anna nodded, still at a loss for words.

"Well, uh." She scratched her head, turning her gaze away, toward the dying embers of the fireplace. Anna had thought it would set the mood.  _Plus it saves money on heating._ Moana turned back, her lip trembling slightly. She bit it to make it stop and looked Anna directly in the eyes. "Would you like to be?"

Anna's heart thudded in her chest. "I. You. We. Uh."  _Yes, those were all words. Well, mostly. Now make a sentence._ "Yes."  _I guess that counts._

"Oh. Good." She visibly tried to keep from jumping for joy. Anna allowed her to continue thinking that she was cool. Moana's hand slid to the back of her neck, pulling her closer, until their lips met. Her heart raced as she deepened the kiss, lips parting to allow Moana's tongue entry, as her hands explored Moana's body, and Moana's hands hers.  _It's finally going to happen. God, I've wanted this so badly._

"Dinner's ready!"

 _Damn it!_  Reluctantly, slowly, they pulled away, their eyes drifting over each other's bodies as they both panted, yearning for more.  _Just another hour or so. I can wait. Probably. Maybe I can get Tiana to leave and we can just eat it cold._ "Fuck." Neither was sure which had said it, nor whether it was a statement of intent or an utterance cursing the cruel timing of their dinner.  _I have been an English teacher for far too long._

Tiana was in the doorway again. "You two coming? You are not letting my beef Wellington get cold."  
That drew Moana's attention. "I've never actually had beef Wellington."

Anna glowered at her.  _You have better things to eat!_ "I haven't either," she admitted. It smelled amazing. It wasn't enough to make her forsake her desire to do other things, but she'd rather not have to deal with the temptation to let Tiana join in.  _I really need to stop being so horny. Well, she'll take care of that._  She took one last appreciative look at Moana's ass as the younger woman stood and headed toward the kitchen.

"You coming?" She looked back, immediately catching where Anna's eyes had been. "Well you will be before long," she added.

That was not helping Anna's situation. She followed after her, trying to focus on anything but the warm feeling that was stubbornly clinging to her.

She finally managed to shrug it off once she saw the meal that Tiana had set out for them, and it finally hit her that she was utterly famished. She took a seat, eyeing the beef wellington, risotto, and green beans almondine. It was a far fancier feast than she'd had in years. Even Nostrana paled in comparison.

"Wow," Moana breathed. "This looks amazing."

Anna nodded in agreement. "You outdid yourself, Tiana."

She shrugged. "Hey, you'll be family before long. I just wanted to make sure you two had a great date. I'll be out of your hair. I have to get going back to Seattle." She kissed Anna's cheek and gave her another quick wink. "It was great seeing you. Give my regards to Olaf."

"Give Elsa a big hug for me." Anna was pleased to find that she didn't want to give her more than that. She had what she wanted.  _Elsa was just part of me being crazy. It wasn't anything real. I have Moana now, and she's all I need._

"It was nice meeting you, Moana." She took her hand and shook it before heading out the door. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Anna started to rise to walk her to the door.

"I'll let myself out. You crazy kids have fun." With that, she was gone, leaving Anna and Moana alone, with only their meal to keep their hands from each other.

Moana scooted her chair closer to her date and squeezed her hand gently. "My first dinner with my girlfriend." She beamed, turning to look at her plate. "How do I eat this?"

Anna eyed it.  _That's a very good question._  "I don't know. I guess just like a steak? I mean you don't want to lose the crust." She sighed, trying to figure out how best to preserve the puff pastry as they dug into the fillet. "I thought they were normally cut." They had both been given individual cuts of fillet, seasoned and wrapped in a pastry, rather than the traditional larger variety which was served in portions.  _I did buy smaller fillets. Why am I surprised?_  She poked it with her fork. It seemed to hold together and she was able to cut off a bite and eat it. She was undeservedly impressed with herself. "Like that." She grinned at her partner.  _My partner._

Moana imitated her, and together the two of them made quick work of their meal. Everything was positively divine. Tiana had outdone herself. The risotto was surprisingly flavorful and complemented the beef's flavor, the green beans were delicious, the almonds giving them a nice extra bit of crunch that took some getting used to, and the beef wellington tasted even better than it looked. It was perhaps a bit too heavy of a meal for the night they had planned, but they'd work off the calories.

Tiana had left some beignets in a lidded dish, that Anna didn't recall owning, and the two made quick work of them. When that was done, they made their way back to the living room, and fell into each other's arms. At Moana's insistence, they made it through another episode of Star Trek, before Anna was too distracted by her girlfriend nibbling on her earlobe to watch another one.

"Moana, if I didn't know better, I'd think there was something else you'd rather be doing."

Her hands rested lightly on Anna's hips. "Please, what could I possibly want to do more than watch Star Trek with the most beautiful woman in the world?"

Anna blushed. She turned away and tried to compose herself. It wasn't like blushing didn't fit the mood, she just hadn't been called that in a long time, and never by a beautiful woman. "You're beautifuller. I mean –" she shook her head. Moana knew exactly what she meant and a rambling explanation was just going to sound ridiculous.  _I am an English teacher and I can use real words!_

"Beautifuller than the most beautiful woman in the world? I think not." She kissed her, soft lips meeting Anna's, as they melted into each other. Anna was surprised when, upon opening her mouth, she didn't meet the increasingly familiar and pleasant taste of Moana's tongue, but instead felt her nibbling on her lower lip. She whimpered, the iota of pain only adding to the pleasure, as Moana's hands shifted down from her hips to cup her ass.

Anna pulled back, watching her partner through half-lidded eyes. "Want to go to the bedroom?"  _I watch shows with my son in this couch. It's weird._

Moana nodded. "I'd love to."

The next morning, Anna woke up to find Moana still in bed with her. She had another hour until she had to start getting ready for work, so she wrapped an arm around her and laid her head on her chest. She listened to her partner's heartbeat as the gentle sound began to soothe her back to sleep. She awoke again a few minute later to Moana's fingers running through her hair, getting caught in the tangled mess it always was when she first woke up, and lightly tugging as they pulled loose. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant sensation. "Good morning," she murmured, blinking away sleep.

"Morning." Moana kissed the top of her head. "I haven't slept that well in quite a while."

"When do you have to fly back out?"

Anna could hear a snicker from her, but it wasn't enough to compel her to move to look at her. She was perfectly content exactly where she was, and Moana could use her words if she wanted to communicate. "Tomorrow."

At that, she sat up and stared at her. "Tomorrow?"  
Moana nodded.

"So I can spend tonight with you?" Olaf would be joining them, but spending time with her two favorite people in the word was not exactly a downside. "Olaf will be here too, you know?"

Moana grinned. "Good. I mean, we'll have to keep things down tonight then, but I'd love to get to know your son more."

Anna threw her arms around her girlfriend and pulled her into a kiss. She had really lucked out.  _She's perfect for me._  The kiss progressed into something far more interesting, and by the time Anna actually arrived at school, she was a good ten minutes late.  _Worth it._

She made it through the whole day, guided on by the euphoric state Moana had left her in. Even Snow wouldn't be able to bother her today, not that she'd been bothering her since Esmeralda had talked to her. All of her classes seemed to go more smoothly than ever before, almost as if her good mood infected her students and made them stop being the miserable little bitches that they so loved to be.

With Olaf in tow, she returned home with a bounce in her step and a renewed joy to be home. She couldn't wait to see Moana.

She was shocked to find her home was spotless. It hadn't been dirty, precisely – at least not unreasonably so – but it had certainly shown the effects of a child, a Lilo, an occasional dog, and a single mother. Now, there wasn't so much as a toy on the floor, a dish in the sink, or the clutter of various odds and ends that pile up as you live in a house for years. The only signs of the previous mess were a few stains on the carpets, but even they seemed to magically be slightly less noticeable. "I got bored," Moana explained, coming down the stairs and noticing Anna's look of bewildered amazement. "I figured it was the least I could do."

 _I am the luckiest woman alive._ Anna all but leaped on her girlfriend and gave her the chastest kiss she could manage when she wanted to pin her against the wall. Olaf was watching, and that was hardly the kind of display she wanted to put on in front of him.

"Hi, Aunt Moana."  _Didn't I say not to call her that? I'm trying NOT to date my sister._

"Hey there, kiddo." Moana affectionately ruffled his hair as she bent down on one knee to look him in the eye. "You have a good day at school?"

He nodded. "We worked on our subtraction tables and learned about the five senses. I'm getting really good at my math. The teacher even let me help another student with it."

Anna stared at him.  _He didn't get that from me._ "I'm so proud of you. We should celebrate."  _Maybe he'll end up in mathematics or something like it. I had always expected more creative stuff from him, he's just so sensitive, but if he ended up as an engineer then I at least wouldn't have to worry about him managing to provide for himself. Just don't be a teacher._  "What do you want to do?"

He studied his mother, trying to figure out what he could manage to get away with. He always did this when she offered him any sort of reward. He had learned that she wouldn't just buy him a new video game console, anything too sharp, or his own car, but he was still working out just what the limits were. "Can we have ice cream for dinner?"

 _Nice try._  "We can have ice cream after dinner."

He chewed on his lip, looking between the two of them.  _Is Moana already part of this? Wow, she joined the family quick. Is this lesbian time?_  "Can I have a new bike?"  
Moana giggled. Anna rolled her eyes. "Your current bike is fine."

"That toy sword and armor set at Toys R Us?"

Anna had bought them on clearance before their local store had shut down. He'd be getting them the next month for his birthday. She considered letting him open it early. "Just pick something for dinner. It's your birthday next month, I can't buy you too many presents."  _I can barely afford just dinner. I get paid on Friday. I'll be fine._

He considered for a few moments before his eyes lit up. He knew what he wanted. "KFC!"

Anna gave him a deep formal bow. "Your wish is my command."

Moana rested her hand on Anna's shoulder. "Let me pay for it."

She wanted to refuse, to insist that she could manage, that it was for her son, anything, but all she could think about was how her bank account was barely in the triple digits. "Thank you."

"Any time."

 _I might just take her up on that._  They picked up a family bucket with corn and mashed potatoes, and grabbed some ice cream from the grocery store, before they returned to Anna's house and settled in for the evening. They ate together in front of the TV, with Olaf between them and enjoyed the simple domesticity of it all. Maybe this really could be her new family.

Moana and Anna had to shield their chicken from Olaf to avoid having him steal their 'crunchy.' He'd earned it, but it was hardly even worth eating the chicken without their skin. Fortunately, his stomach was small and he gave up after eating a leg, breast, and a corncob. "Can I have ice cream now?" he asked. Clearly his stomach wasn't quite that small.

"Sure." Anna paused the show and went with him to the kitchen, scooping him a cup of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup as he rinsed his plate off. His grin was quickly covered in ice cream as they returned to join Moana. They spent the rest of the night marathoning Star Trek until Olaf went to bed and the two women were left to their own devices.

"Want to watch more?" Moana asked, leaning her head against Anna's shoulder.

"I don't know. It is getting late, and I have work in the morning."

"You're right. You should sleep." She sat back up and rolled her shoulders and neck. "I'm getting tired too."

"Anything you wanted to do before bed?"  _It's my last chance for a while. From the sound of it she won't be back in town for at least a few weeks._

She gave Anna the most innocent look she could manage. "Whatever did you mean? I thought we were done watching Star Trek."  
Anna licked her lips suggestively. "We do have that chocolate syrup."

Her eyebrows raised. "We do. I think we can come up with a few uses for it."

They fell asleep sticky and satisfied, barely able to wait until they could see each other again.


	29. Elsa - You Don't Have to Mean It

Elsa glowered at her phone. She didn't want to have to do this. It was stupid. She hadn't done anything wrong, so why the hell should she be the one apologizing?  _Because you need her help with something, not the other way around._ She glared all the harder at the phone, but the task continued to not do itself.

She groaned and took a sip of her coffee. "Fine." As she pressed the call button, she leaned back in her chair, pushing off of her desk until she was at the window. Cars drove by thirty-some stories below her as the phone rang. She could afford throwing the phone out the window to avoid this conversation, and it was very tempting.

On the fifth ring, Anya finally answered. "Elsa?" she asked, her voice already showing irritation.  _I have the best friends._

"Hi."  _Just say 'I'm sorry.' You don't have to mean it._

"Was there something you wanted or are we just exchanging pleasantries?" The terse tone made the window option all the more tempting.

"I'm sorry," she grumbled.

A bemused chuckle sounded from the other end of the phone. "Well that is a surprise. Elsa Agnarrsen actually admitting her mistakes for once?"

 _She always was a sore winner. I still think it's a terrible idea for Belle to be working for her and I am genuinely terrified that it's going to hurt both of them, but fine, maybe I hadn't earned the right to criticize after how I'd been treating her._ "I shouldn't have said anything. It was between the two of you, and I was wrong." Elsa was impressed with herself for how sincere she was managing to sound. She hadn't even written cue cards.

"All right. You're forgiven. I was probably overreacting a little too. Wanna grab lunch?"

Elsa glanced at the time. It was almost 10:30. "Yeah, I could eat."

"Oaken's?"  
_I'm trying to show that I've changed. I might as well add to it._ "No, let's go someplace different. Want to get some bagels? Maybe a slice of pizza?"  _I can't even recall the last time I had a bagel. I am the worst New Yorker._

Anastasia took a moment to reply. "I'm sorry, did Elsa 'I eat Oaken's ever single day for brunch' Agnarrsen just say we should go someplace else?"

"I just call it lunch. The six am coffee is breakfast."  _And the eight o'clock one. Sometimes the 10 o'clock one if it isn't at Oaken's._

"Sure. There's a good bagel place by my office. I'll text you the address. Meet me there?"

 _Is it too late to change my answer? I'm not sure if I can go through my day without a chocolate croissant._ She mused on that for a moment. _That may be why Tiana thinks I need to watch my diet._ "Yeah, sure, I'll see you there."

Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at Gothel's and miraculously found parking. Ignoring the construction crew outside, she made her way inside and found Anya waiting for her. "Morning, Elsa."

 _All right. I admit it. I have missed her._ "Morning, Anya." They gave each other a quick hug before Elsa ordered a sesame bagel with some schmear and joined her friend at her table. "So, how is everything?"

"Oh, so Belle didn't tell you?" The corner of her mouth curled up in a slight smirk, emphasizing the dollop of cream cheese stuck there.

Elsa giggled and offered her a napkin. She may have felt a bit more called out if she could take Anastasia a tad more seriously with food on her face. "She did. I'd still like to hear it from you."

The smirk became a genuine smile. Anya loved talking about her work. It was a great way to get her defenses down, so that Elsa could extract the information she needed.  _Now I just need to figure out how to bring it up without her realizing that it's the only reason I apologized. Great. I'm gonna have to be vulnerable again, aren't I?_  "Business is really picking up. I won a few cases that earned me a bit of a reputation, and Dimitri had a pretty impressive case of his own." Anya's grin was infectious. It was hard not to be happy for her, she really was managing to make it work. "Did you hear about my recent suit where we actually managed to get the city of New York to pay for a wrongful death? Half a million. The other case was a good three hundred grand, and Dimitri's malpractice suit was a little higher. Before too long we might just join you in the big leagues."

Elsa managed to avoid laughing. "I thought you didn't want that. You wanted a nice peaceful private practice."  _Not that the two of you could compete with us._

She shrugged. "I suppose you're right. It would still be nice to see Gaston have to actually treat me as an equal for once. _"_

 _He's not that bad. Oh God, what am I thinking?_ "Still, I'm happy for you. Hell, you're having better luck than I am. I actually lost a case recently. It," she paused, she really didn't want to talk about it again. "It was an old client of mine and things went really badly. I had no case, and yet I still managed to get an amazing plea deal, but he refused. Now that stupid fucking son of a bitch is gonna be in prison for the next twenty-five years. I didn't take it well."  _There, I'm vulnerable. Now tell me stuff._

"Oh." She swallowed, her eyes softening as she studied Elsa. "The case Belle mentioned?"  _Aww, was she checking up on me?_ "I'm sorry, Elsa. You never did handle losing all that well, and it sounded like this client actually meant a lot to you."

Elsa took a bite of her bagel. It was actually pretty good. Really good, even by New York standards. "You come here a lot? This bagel is fantastic."

"I do. I bring in buckets for the office. Now talk to me about the case."

Elsa shrugged and bit a large chunk out of her bagel. It practically melted in her mouth. "There's not much to say. I cared about the kid. He was an idiot, and I shouldn't have, I knew this was exactly what was going to happen to him, but he'd been my client since his first DUI back when he was sixteen. I'd gotten used to him, and now he's not around anymore." Elsa blinked away a stubborn tear. She didn't shed any more, but she hated how emotional she got about this fucker. "Forget about it, okay? It's over, I'm fine. I have a new case now. With Gaston." She added as much ire to her voice as she could manage, channeling her hate for actually being friends with him now that her hate for him as a person has largely vanished.  _I care about the worst people._

Anastasia laughed but it turned into a wolfish grin. She was enjoying Elsa's pain a little too much. "Wow. You have to try a case with that asshole?"  _Hey, that's my nickname for him, get your own._ "I feel bad for you. He putting the training wheels back on, or just bored of being stuck up in his ivory tower?"

 _I can't believe I want to come to his defense. Oh well, let him rot. He's the one that told me to do this._ "I think he's trying to make himself look good. A New York law firm can hardly have one of their name partners known as a bigoted asshole. He second chairs a case with an out lesbian, then he doesn't look so bad. It just means there's gonna be attention on us, and I need to make sure we look good. God knows he's not going to do anything himself."

"Of course not. Why do anything when he can have an associate – or a less senior partner do it for him. Christ, he really hasn't changed a bit, has he? We have to work ten times as hard for half the respect, and he barely even wants to give us that."

Elsa sighed. "Yeah. It's a damn boy's club, and they like to make sure we remember it. Unfortunately, it means with all the name partner's watching, I better kick some serious ass. Otherwise my name is never going to be up there."

"You sure you really want it next to his?"

"Of course." Elsa bared her teeth, matching her friend's fiendish expression. "Just think about how much it would piss him off."

Anya clapped her hands together and covered her mouth as she laughed, barely able to contain herself. "Okay, yeah, I'm in. You need to be name partner. What's the case? Anything fun?"

"Murder case. I can't say a lot right now, it's in the news and we just got the case." She paused as she studied Anya, appearing as if an idea was coming to her. "You know, you might actually be able to help. If you're willing."  
She leaned in conspiratorially, tilting her head so her ear was closer to Elsa. "What do you need me to do?"

"You know the judge. Vlad?"  
Her eyes widened as she leaned back in her seat. "You're trying a case with Vlad? Why? He doesn't even work in this district."

"Oh." She creased her brow, staring at Anya.  _Would this info even still be good?_  "He didn't tell you? This is the first case in his bracket since he's moved to Manhattan. Sorry."

She shrugged, trying not to sound hurt. "I hadn't talked to him in a couple weeks. He did say he'd put in again, I guess he got approved. I can't believe he didn't call me." She glanced at her phone.

"I'm sure he will. Anyway, Gaston wanted the case, since it had all that media attention, and who's going to turn down two of the best lawyers in New York? Well, one of the best and a big named showboat."

Anastasia managed to collect herself in time to retort "That's not fair to you, Elsa, you're hardly a showboat." She giggled playfully as Elsa rolled her eyes. "Oh, you meant Gaston. Yeah, he deserves that. So, Vlad, huh? He had seemed to actually be pretty glad that he wasn't in town anymore. He always wanted to want to move here, but it just meant he doesn't have to recuse himself anytime Dimitri or I'd have a case with him. No wonder he didn't tell me. He's probably worried I'm going to chew him out for it."  _Can't imagine what that'd be like._ "Yeah, I think I can help you win."

Elsa placed her hands together and looked as desperate as she could. "Please. Anything you can think of that'll help. I'm not losing another case right now."

She nodded. "Of course, Elsa. Well for starters, don't be rude. Don't play your games, trying to irritate the opposing counsel, he doesn't tolerate any of that stuff. Who's the prosecution?"  
"Facilier."

She took a sip of her coffee, but not before Elsa had seen the frightened look she'd given. "I've gone up against him before. The guy has a way with juries. With any luck, Vlad will reign him in some. Shit, Elsa, he is not someone I'd want to go up against if I'm less than 100%. Hell, even then I'd rather not. You're still pretty beat up about that case, are you sure you're ready for this?"

Elsa gave a derisive laugh. "It probably won't be for another month. I'll be more than ready. I'm gonna kick his ass."

Anya gave her a half-smile in encouragement. "Of course you will." The smile faltered and she bit her lip. "Just be careful. I'm amazed he hasn't been disbarred with some of the shit he pulls, let alone that he actually made DA. The only reason he quit his old firm is because they were about ready to fire him." She shook her head. "I don't know how to beat him. He won the only case I've ever had against him, and I'm better than you, so clearly you don't stand a chance."

"I beat you last time, remember?"

Rolling her eyes, Anya spat back "It was a fluke. Give me an actually even case against you, and I'll wipe the floor with you."

"The case was even, you're just not good enough. It's why I'm gonna be the one to beat Facilier."

"Care to put some money on that?"

 _I piss off Anya way too often to give her something she could disbar me over._ "I'm good. So, what can I exploit with Vlad that'll help me here? I know you know more than you've said."

Taking her time, she finished off her bagel and took another sip of her coffee. "He tries to seem unbiased, even more than most judges, but he's a sentimental sap. When I was clerking for him, I saw him completely ignore a bunch of valid objections from a prosecutor just because he had been vilifying the defendant. It's literally his job, but Vlad didn't like the way he did it. If anyone can get someone to make an ass of themselves it's you, and if anyone can piss him off, it's Facilier, you may have lucked out. He's also generally pretty willing to overturn limits, and other rules that would restrain his authority as a judge. If it messes with his ability to run a trial, he'll ignore it, and that includes you. And Gaston. So don't talk over him, don't try to do anything without his say-so, treat him with absolute respect."

"I know how to handle a judge."

"Well he's the judgiest judge. He's got the ego, the pompous sense of nobility, and the desire to actually be a fair and impartial juror, giving every underdog their fair trial. He's gonna love the three of you."

"At least it's two big names against another one? I mean if I was crushing Pan in front of him that'd be a bit of an issue."  _Or him crushing me again._

"I suppose. Just be careful, Elsa. You're awfully good at pissing people off, and there's two people in there that you don't want to make an enemy of."

"I'll be fine. I just wanted to know what to expect."  _My last judge seemed to actively be favoring me and I still lost. How am I going to fair with one that won't let me run the courtroom?_ "I've got nothing to worry about."

With Gaston now up to date on their judge, the two of them walked into the Multnomah County Jail, ready to meet their client and begin preparing his defense. "You're gonna love him," Gaston explained. "He'll testify great. Real likable kid."

After an extensive check in, passing through security, a quick search, and Elsa being glad that she wore her hair down, the two of them were seated in plastic chairs at a scratched and mottled metal table across from their client. "Hi, Eric," Elsa began, her voice high and welcoming, trying to lull their client into a trusting passivity so he'd do whatever they said. She'd honed the tone over a lifetime in law, and it made people trust her as surely as if she was drugging them. Granted, they didn't have much choice by that point, they'd hired her. "My name's Ms. Agnarrsen, you've already met Mr. Gaston. I'd like you to tell me your story.

Eric Clements nervously ran a hand through his short black hair. He looked uncomfortable in the prison uniform he'd been given, more like it was too itchy for him than that he didn't belong. They'd taken his old clothes, the bloody Armani suit he'd been seen in on Television the previous Wednesday, to the lab for testing. Perhaps he just needed a higher quality uniform, maybe federal prison would suit him better. "Ms. Agnarrsen," he repeated, sounding distant. "I already told Mr. Gaston everything." He looked vague, confused, it added to his general out of place appearance. He shouldn't be here.  _Well, after today he won't be._

"I know, but I need to hear it in your own words. There can't be any surprises."

He nodded, clearing his throat. His eyes finally focused on her and he seemed slightly more there. He looked her up and down as if he was finally seeing her for the first time. "Well I lucked out for my lawyer."  _The one good thing I can say about Kuzco as a client is he never tried to make a move on me._ "Well, I'm sure you already heard everything on the news. I went over to my ex-girlfriend's place, I was just checking up on her, she'd been messaging me some really scary things and I thought she was going to hurt herself. When I got there, I thought I was right. She was lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood. I tried to resuscitate her, they taught the swim team CPR back when I was in high school, I was really rusty at it, but I thought I could save her." A bitter laugh echoed from his throat, sounding entirely foreign in the claustrophobic chamber. "Of course if I'd actually remembered my training, I'd know that CPR is the last thing you should do for someone who's been stabbed, it just sends the blood out of them."

Gaston turned to her and withdrew a piece of paper from his manila folder. "The autopsy showed evidence of chest compressions that would support his story, even broke one of her ribs." Facilier would likely try to spin that to make him sound violent, she'd have to remember to tell the jury that that's how CPR is supposed to work, maybe even bring in an expert on it. Of course, it still wouldn't change that he did the wrong thing, but being in shock would certainly explain that, and it wouldn't make sense for the killer to have done it.

"And that's how you got so much blood on you?" The footage of him, covered in her blood, being paraded into the police car had been running on the news every hour for the last five days.  _I knew we should've requested a change of venue. Not that anyone anywhere in New York didn't see it. Spoiled rich boy murders pretty white girlfriend, it's the stuff reporters have wet dreams about. Anya actually said those exact words when she got a similar case when we were associates. Great, now I'm quoting her. Elsa_  was feeling more cynical than usual, which was saying something. Whether that was part of her general depression over her last case, or if it was from somewhere else wasn't clear to her.

He nodded. "It kind of sprayed on me when I did it. I hadn't even noticed the wound. I knew the blood had to have come from somewhere. I don't know how I didn't see it."

She looked back to Gaston. "Have they found the murder weapon?"  
He shook his head. "Nope, nada. It's been almost a week, I'm really doubting it'll surface."  
She wanted to ask if he'd disposed of it, but she was pretty sure he knew better. "Is there anything else we should know, Mr. Clements? Anything you don't tell us now will just mean that we won't be prepared for it in trial, and it could sink your case. We're your lawyers, it doesn't matter how bad it makes you sound, you need to tell us."  _I don't know why they always think it's a good idea to lie to their lawyer. Another thing Kuzco was weirdly good about, he was too dumb to lie._ She stared into his eyes, the warmth that she had originally greeted him with vanished and her cold gaze bored into him.  _This case is too big for me to leave anything to chance._

Squinting at her, he tilted his head slightly. "What do you think I haven't said? We broke up, and it was a pretty bad break, I assume that's why the police immediately suspected me, but we'd been starting to be friends again. I was worried about her, so I checked up on her. Apparently I was right to worry. I don't know who would do that to Ariel, she wouldn't hurt a soul." He choked back a sob, tears beading in the corner of his eyes. "Who would do that to her? There was so much blood! It was horrible."

 _I wish he'd cried like that on the news._ "All right, thank you."

"Are you gonna be able to get me out?" He sniffed, wiping at his eyes. "I can't stay in here. It's awful." He tugged at his uniform. It did look really itchy.

She felt a little guilty about her aquamarine silk dress. "I think so. You have strong roots in the community, no criminal record, you should be able to make bail."

He clasped her hand in his own. She recoiled slightly, you never want inmates touching you, for so very many reasons, not the least of which being how hard it is to fight back when they're already grabbing you. Dozens of horror stories she'd heard from other lawyers filled her mind. "Thank you, Elsa, thank you so much. I know you two will do right by me."

With a quick nod, she pulled her hand free and rung it gingerly with her other, making sure it was still whole. "Of course."

Gaston grinned. "See, what did I tell you, Elsie? This guy is a sure thing. We couldn't have found a better client if we set the case up ourselves."

She hoped Gaston would never stoop to that, even to cheer her up. "Well, as we didn't, we should probably still subpoena the DA's office for all of their files."

He shrugged. "I keep telling you, the jury doesn't care about facts." He pointed towards their client, who was still wiping a few stray tears from his face. "Just put this man up on the stand, and we'll be golden. Who'd convict this face?" He was very pretty, for a boy. Attractive rich straight white guys were by far the easiest clients, it's why they mostly represented them – and that they were the only people who could afford the services of Gaston, Philip, & de Ville.

"Did anything happen after you performed CPR? I'd certainly assume she didn't wake up and you then murdered her, but did you see anyone else? Any cars? Any masked figure running into the shadows?"  _Just need a complete picture, and anything I can nail the cops on for not pursuing._

Shaking his head, he replied "No. I just called the police and waited for them. I know you're not supposed to stop CPR until you're relieved, but she was kind of dead."

Elsa gave a polite chuckle. "Just don't phrase it like that in the courtroom. That's good though, the news neglected to mention that you were the one who called the police. Between the CPR and that, they'll have a tough time making it look like you're guilty."

He answered with a small smile.

"All right, Albert, let's get going. We should get back to the office and go over strategy before the arraignment."

"What strategy? It's an arraignment."

She rolled her eyes at him. "We'll see you in a couple hours, Eric." With that, she knocked on the door, and they were escorted out of the jail.

Back in her office, Elsa reclined in her over-sized leather office chair.  _You never notice how nice your office smells until you have to go to jail. That stench is overwhelming – metal, sweat, bodily fluids, and awful BO. It is, without a doubt, the worst part of this job._

Gaston threw open the door and plopped down into the less luxurious but still absurdly expensive chair across from her. "How'd you get here so quick? Traffic was a nightmare."

"That's why I always take the long way to the jail. It's quicker," she explained.  _We should've just carpooled._ "You really trust this guy?" She didn't think he was a killer, but there was just something slimy about him that made her immediately dislike him and she worried the jury would do the same.

"Of course, what's not to trust?"  _Right. He's like Asshole._

Elsa sucked on her teeth. They should really have this conversation, she just really didn't want to.  _Fuck it. It was gonna happen sometime._ "You know, there's a good reason I call you Asshole."

He blinked, blindsided by what to him seemed like a sudden change in topic. "Because I'm a dick and my name starts with 'A'?"

She actually hadn't thought about the fact that they'd both started with the same letter, Asshole just suited him. "Right, let's focus on the dick part."  _Wow, am I really the one lecturing someone on being a better person? Elsa Agnarrsen, what's happened to you?_

"Please, you've never focused on a dick in your life."

"That. That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about. The way I got Anya to forgive me and give me the info on Vlad earlier was by bonding with her over how awful you are. You alienate everyone, especially women, and gay people, and black people, and just people in general."

"Both everyone and people in general?" Doubt was clear on his face.  _He thinks I overstated, but no, it's completely true._

"Albert, I'm serious. I know that you're a decent guy under it all, but you can't keep making people feel this way. I get that it's a defense mechanism, that you don't want to give anyone the chance to reject you, so you push them away before they have the chance to get to know you, that you hate yourself at least as much as you love yourself, and that being nice is just too much fucking effort. Of course I get it, I am you ever tell anyone that I said that, I will strangle you with your flamboyant satin tie."

"You think my tie is flamboyant?"

That was so very not the point. "It's a skinny tie and it's bright orange, yeah, it's a little flamboyant."

"Oh. I thought it was cute."

She shrugged. "I guess it's kinda cute."

He considered this for a moment, resting his chin in his hand. "Loud colors just suit me."

That earned him a chuckle. "You are very loud."

He met her eyes. "I guess that's why I always felt like we could be friends, not the loud thing, you're rather quiet and you keep to yourself to a point that I was a little worried you were in witness protection, but I always saw myself in you. You didn't deserve what I put you through. I'm sorry."

 _Here I was thinking that I couldn't manage to get through that thick skull of his._ "I've already forgiven you, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. As loathe as I am to admit it, you're my friend. You are, however, also a name partner in this law firm, and you have to stop treating your employees like this."

"I guess the sensitivity training never really clicked."

"Clearly."

With a heavy sigh sighed, he leaned back in the chair, resting his ankle on his knee. "How would I do it?"  
She had not thought that far ahead. Him listening to her in the first place had seemed an already impossible feat. "Throw a pizza party and tell everyone that you're a massive asshole but that you'll try to be better?"

He waved his hand. "Pizza's too overdone. Think Tiana would cater it?"

"Probably. If I ask her to."

He nodded and turned his gaze to the window behind her, looking out on the mid-afternoon city. "I'll do it."

 _That was easy._ "All right. Do I have to come?"  _I'm not big on parties on the best days, an 'I'm sorry I'm a bigoted asshole' party seems especially unpleasant._

Gaston blew out a slow breath. It was clearly not what he wanted to hear. "That's what they'll all say too, isn't it?"

She had to concede that. "They might."

"Then how can I make it up to them?" His blue eyes lock on hers. In all the time she'd known him, all his years making her life hell, she'd never seen him look like that – defenseless, scared, pitiful. The small part of her that still resented him relished in it, but the better part of her ached at his pain.

"Just stop treating them like that. Anyone you really pissed off, people like Anya or me, you can apologize to, but just stop being so bad. If you start behaving like a human being, then they'll see. They might not forgive you, and they don't have to, but they might at least work a bit harder. I mean, no one really puts much effort into the assignments you give, 'cause you're a dick."  
"Wow." He sat up, his eyes still focused on her. "We hire really good lawyers if that's them barely trying."

She tried to resist. This was serious. It started with the corners of her mouth turning up, barely even enough to notice, but it kept coming, until finally she laughed so hard tears came out of her eyes. Trying to hold it back only made the laughter come out that much harder. She was doubled over, clutching her stomach when he finally joined in. They both had to wipe a tear away, though she suspected his wasn't from his joke. "Just start encouraging people instead of," she paused, where to even start? "Everything you do."

"Thanks, Elsa."

She nodded.

"I think I was hoping a little that you'd have this talk with me eventually. I needed that kick. I know how much I've hurt people."

Elsa shrugged. "Hurting people is what we do. Hell, it's why I had to go apologize to Anastasia."

"I thought you said you didn't do anything wrong."

"I didn't. Unfortunately, I haven't earned the benefit of the doubt. I've been a shit friend to her for so long, I'm surprised she put up with it for as long as she did. She doesn't just assume that I'm looking out for her and Belle when I'm worried about them working together, she assumes that I'm disrespecting her. Because I'm an asshole."  _Shit, I'm becoming self-aware. Go back. I liked it better when I was just a heartless bitch with no friends._

She wasn't sure when Gaston had stood up, but he rested his hand on her shoulder. "Well you've been a pretty great friend to me, when I sure as hell didn't deserve it."

She sneered.  _Being nice hurts._ "I can say the same for you. _"_

"Hug?"

"Don't push your luck."

He checked his Rolex. "Arraignment is in half an hour. We should get going."  
"Carpool?"  
"Sure, I can show you my new Mustang."

"I just need to get you a chauffeur's hat and it'll be perfect." She followed him out and they made good time on their way to the Manhattan County Courthouse.

"Okay, you're right, this way is quicker," he admitted, as they drove by a spot where they could see the throng of car stuck in traffic.

"Other than having to see a few drug deals on the way, it's by far the best route. Plus, you can give them your card, they're potential clients."

He chuckled and slammed on the brakes. That was the other downside of taking back roads. A truck was setting up for a delivery and they had to weave around it through the narrow passage. Fortunately Gaston managed without so much as a ding on the pristine vehicle.

They arrived with time to spare and soon found themselves in Courtroom 3A with Eric escorted out to them in a grey Brooks Brothers suit. He looked far more presentable than he had in the cell, and far less nervous now that he wasn't picking at his uniform. She wasn't sure that looking comfortable in the defendant's seat would help their case, but it would likely help his testimony.

Elsa rose before the judge had a chance to start. "Elsa Agnarrsen for the defense, your honor. We'll waive reading."

A skeletally thin man stood up at the prosecution's table. "Ardoin Facilier, for the city of New York. Now come on, Ms. Agnarrsen, you're taking all the fun out of this. I've never gotten to hear them read what I'm charging someone with before."

 _Is every other lawyer in this town French?_  "You'll just have to wait until your next case then, Mr. Facilier. I have no intention of making this fun for you."

His teeth showed in what must have been a smile. "Well I intend to make this as fun as possible. I mean all these cameras," he gestured toward the news crews in the audience, "I intend to provide them with all the drama they so seek. Hi, Mom." He waved, his grin growing even toothier as he stared right into the camera. "Let's make a show of this, Ms. Agnarrsen. Can you do that for me?"  
The gavel banged. Everyone turned to Judge Vasilovich. "I will not have you make a mockery of my courtroom." The words were slow, deliberate, and commanding. "Mr. Facilier, your reputation proceeds you, and you exceed it. If you keep up the showboating, I will hold you in contempt."

"Your handcuffs or mine?" His lips curled, his eyes narrowing as he stared up at Vlad's imposing figure.

"One more word from you without my asking you first and you'll spend the night in a jail cell. Ms. Agnarrsen, I assume you wanted to ask for bail?"

Control was hers again. Facilier was going to be an interesting opponent, but he certainly didn't seem as imposing as both Anya and Albert had made him sound. This only made her more worried. "Yes, your honor. My client has strong ties to the community, he's in college in town, he has classes to go to, and he has no criminal record."

He turned to Facilier. "You can speak."

"I have no objections. You can even release him on his own recognizance if you'd like. See, Elsa? I can play nice."

"You will address me and you will keep your answers relevant, Mr. Facilier," the judge bellowed.

Facilier smiled and inclined his head.

"Bail is set for one hundred thousand. Trial is set for February twenty-fifth."

 _That's Olaf's birthday. Well, at least I'll remember the date._  Eric's father would have no issue making bail, and they were all free to go. She had a month to find out exactly what made Facilier so formidable and figure out how to crush him. She wasn't going to lose again.


	30. Anna - She'd Be a Great Mom

Anna was finishing cleaning up her classroom and packing up the papers she needed to grade, when someone knocked on her doorframe. She turned and saw Snow standing in the doorway.  _Great, and I thought I was finally done with her. I guess Esmeralda didn't do enough._ "What is it, Snow?" She tried to keep her voice as polite and teacherly as possible, but a good deal of irritation still managed to creep in.

She looked hurt, but she walked in and sat on a desk. "I'm sure you've noticed that I've been leaving you alone of late."

With a curt nod as she zipped her bag shut, Anna replied, "I had."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been treating you like I had been. I was being a bully. I didn't realize how much it was hurting you. I wish I could say that I didn't mean it, but I'd take it back now if I could."

Anna frowned at her, her eyebrows knitting together as she studied her student. She seemed to be sincere – it was a strange look on the young girl. "Ms. Agnes – Esmeralda talked to you, didn't she?"

She nodded. "She did. I hadn't realized how much I was putting you through, or how much you were going through on your own." Anna gave a panicked look, and Snow held a hand up to silence her. "Yeah, she told me you're gay. It never really occurred to me that teachers could go through anything. I mean I know you were getting divorced, but that's just part of being an adult. I just kinda thought that once you were an adult, and especially by the time you have a career and a family, that you'd know who you were, that most of the big questions would be answered. It actually scared me a little to find out I was wrong. I was hoping I'd be done with all that stuff by the time I was your age."

Anna tried to decide between being amused and being offended, but she settled on a small giggle as she sat down next to Snow. "Everyone always has some more growing to do, more of a life to live. It's just part of being human. I know when I was in high school, I thought I had everything sorted out. I knew who I was going to marry, where I was going to live, what I wanted to do with my life, it was all planned out. It wasn't until recently that I finally realized that I really hadn't known all that much. Although I was at least dead-on about being a teacher, I do love it. _" Except when you make it Hell._

She smiled weakly, glancing into Anna's eyes. "Sounds like we weren't too different back then. I hope I would've been nicer to you if you were my age."

 _Not so different? I wasn't in all advanced classes, and I sure as hell wasn't popular._ "Do you treat students like that, or just teachers?"  _I just assumed she was always a bully._

"I think I'm actually pretty nice to people my own age. Teachers just always kind of seemed like they weren't people – no offense – they weren't like us, so I didn't mind making them miserable, since it didn't feel like I was really hurting anyone. Wow, saying it out loud I sound like a total psychopath." She wrung her hands in her lap, tugging on her yellow skirt.

"It's never too late to become a better person." Anna rested her hand on Snow's shoulder. "If you can learn to stop hurting those around you, you'll end up a lot happier with yourself too. I know changing can be difficult –"

"It really isn't." She shrugged off Anna's hand and stood, pacing over to the large desk at the front of the room and resting her hand on it. "I thought it would be, but just stopping being a bitch was so easy. Talking to you about it was hard, it's why it took me over a month, so maybe being a good person isn't easy, but not being mean is. It's the easiest thing I've ever done, I just had to stop. The fact that it took nothing from me, and I still resisted it for so long really scares me. Maybe I am a psychopath."

"You're not. If you were then you wouldn't be thinking any of that." Anna took a step toward her, but stopped, watching as the girl's mind raced. She didn't want to push her, she was sure this was far more difficult than she was letting on.

Snow nodded, but continued staring at the desk. Anna thought she saw a tear fall onto the cheap wood. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I promise, I'll be better from now on."

"Better? You were already top of the class." Anna hated to see one of her students suffering, even if she had been wanting it for most of the past year. She hoped the compliment, humor, and change of subject would help with that. "I'm a little scared to see how much better you could be."

It seemed to do the trick. Snow met her eyes again – she had been crying – and she managed a genuine smile. "I bet I could manage 102%. You offer enough extra credit."

Anna smiled back at her. "I need to get going, it's my son's birthday today. We can talk more tomorrow if you're struggling any more with this whole morality thing." The smile grew a tad more jovial.  
"Thank you. You're a way better teacher than I've ever given you credit for."

Anna laughed. "I'm really not."

Anna stood in front of the zoo gates with Lilo and Olaf. She blew out a shaky breath. She was so much more nervous than she thought she'd be.  _I managed to be friends with Esmeralda, despite how things are – or were. I can make it through a day with my ex-husband. I hope._  She gulped.  _I made it through fifteen years with him, how hard can a few hours be?_

"Hey," a hesitant soft voice came from behind her. She turned to find Kristoff, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his eyes locked on his shoes. He was clearly as nervous as she was. "Happy birthday, Olaf." He squatted down in front of their son, his anxious expression turning into one of genuine glee. "I got you this." He handed him a wrapped box.

"We said we'd do presents with dinner!" Anna set her hands on her hips. They had agreed to this! She didn't really care that much, but having something to fuss at him about made it somehow less uncomfortable.

"Oh, come on, Anna, just this one?" Kristoff looked up at her, his expression as pathetic and pleading as the one on Olaf's face next to his. "Please?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"Yes!" they both cried. Olaf tore into the wrapping paper, ripping it to shreds to get to the contents within. He grinned up at his father when it was finally open then held up the box as he turned to his mother, his face barely able to contain his smile. "Mama, look!"  
She did look. She had no idea what it was until she read the text in the bottom corner of the box. A tricorder. He wouldn't have to just use his phaser anymore. "You can scan all of the animals with it."

His grin grew somehow even larger. "You're right! I bet I can find out so much about them." Anna just hoped the zoo staff wouldn't give them any trouble for it. "Thank you so much, Papa."

"I'm glad you like it." He ruffled Olaf's hair as he stood up, his knees cracking audibly. "Let's go inside."

Olaf scanned Lilo as soon as he managed to get it out of the box.

Her eyes widened. "You weren't supposed to know that I was controlled by an alien parasite!" She lunged at him, wrestling the toy out of his hands. Neither Kristoff nor Anna bothered to separate them, Olaf never seemed to mind. "Oh no!" She stared into the display. "There's one in you too. All this time, you were part of my race."  _Aww, I think this is Lilo being sweet._ "We shall conquer humankind together. The Federation can never stop us."

Olaf beamed back at her and the two kids ran toward the entrance. Kristoff fell into step next to Anna. "Don t worry, I'll pay for it," he said.

She blew out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." The mortgage and bills had eaten almost the entirety of her last paycheck and Kristoff's child support was barely enough to keep food on the table. She shook her head.  _It's Olaf's birthday, I can worry about money later. I will worry about money later._

"It's no problem, Anna." He clearly wanted to give her some sort of affectionate touch, his hand reached out half the distance between them before falling back to his side. "It's for our son."

Once they were inside, Olaf and Lilo immediately ran ahead, while Anna and Kristoff struggled to keep up. Lilo ducked under a sign while Olaf went around, and the adults finally found them staring at a map. "I want to see the lions!" Lilo insisted.

"I want to see the penguins."

"Lions!"

"Lilo, it's Olaf's birthday," Anna explained. "We can see the lions later."

Lilo narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she growled, "but we must see them before dinner."

Anna shook her head. Lilo seemed to be getting worse again, she and Olaf took turns corrupting or improving each other. Olaf led the way toward the penguins. There was an entire exhibit to walk through, with various breeds of penguins, shaking their tail feathers, preening, diving into the water, and splashing Kristoff.

Anna really tried not to laugh. She did. As soon as she started laughing, a second splash hit him right in the face. It had completely avoided all three of them. She covered her mouth as she laughed so hard that her eyes started to water.

Kristoff glowered at her. "It's not that funny."

Lilo and Olaf's laughter argued otherwise. "Papa, I don't think penguins like you."

He grumbled.

Anna handed him a few tissues from her purse. It was all she had on her. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you would've laughed if it happened to me." She thought she kind of needed it. Seeing him like that gave her a certain satisfaction. He hadn't wronged her in any way, the divorce should have been amicable, but seeing her ex-husband humiliated by tuxedoed water fowl was apparently the last piece that she needed to really move past everything.

He yanked the tissues from her hand and folded them up before attempting to wipe the water from his face. Anna was surprised but not quite disappointed to see that the penguins didn't splash him again to spite these efforts. "Thanks," he mumbled.

 _We're actually talking. I should press onward, maybe we can salvage enough of a friendship that handing over Olaf every weekend won't feel like a hostage exchange._  Her expression softened, as she wiped a spot that he'd missed. "How have you been?" She sounded calm, not at all like the idea of an extended conversation with him was about as tempting as jumping in the exhibit with Lilo's lions.

He met her eyes for the first time in what felt like ages. "I don't know," he admitted, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I'm still kind of settling into everything. It's weird living in an apartment again, it's weird not having you around, it's weird only seeing Olaf on weekends. I mean, I guess we barely saw each other anymore anyway, so that hasn't really changed, but –" he cut himself off. "I guess I'm okay. You don't need to worry about me. You and Esmeralda doing all right?"

She considered lying. "It's Moana now, she's a friend of Nani's. We just became official about a month ago."

He chuckled lightly. He was taking this surprisingly well. "Official? Sounds like high school all over again. I don't know how you do it, dating sounds so weird." Panic showed on his face for a second. He likely decided that he sounded like an ass. He didn't, he was being unfair to himself, but he had in enough of their recent conversations that she couldn't blame him for the assumption. "How is Nani anyway? I haven't talked to her since we – I figured she was mostly your friend anyway."

For just a moment, Anna considered setting them up. He was thinking about dating again, after all. It would just feel too weird.  _I wouldn't want to stick him with Lilo._ "She's busy, as ever. Her and I have been taking shifts with the kids of late. It's nice having her there to help. I know you're there too, I don't mean to sound like that. I just never realized how hard being a single mother is, and she's been dealing with this for the last five – almost six years." Lilo would be joining Olaf with her own birthday in another month. Nani had already made reservations at a monster themed restaurant that Olaf always found a bit scary, but that Lilo adored. "I think she's doing okay though. Maybe. She's seemed more exhausted than ever."

Kristoff frowned as he considered that news. "Let her know I can babysit too. I know how much of a handful the kids can be, but they love spending time together, and you two don't need to always deal with them. I know I could mostly just do weekends anyway, but if either of you need me in the evenings, or if she can't handle her little sister for another second some weekend, I'm happy to help. Besides, I'd love to see Olaf more."

Anna was surprised to find herself hugging him. She pulled away, realizing just how awkward that must have been for Kristoff, but she smiled up at him. "Thank you. I'll let her know, and I'm sure Olaf would love to see you more too. I think he really misses having his father around sometimes." She watched him and Lilo taking turns scanning the penguins with the new tricorder. "Plus he misses Sven."

"Well Sven can visit as often as Olaf likes too. It's tough for him being cooped up in an apartment, he needs our – he needs your yard."

Before she could deal with that statement, Lilo and Olaf ran out of the exhibit, and they had to chase after them. For a moment, Anna started to panic when she didn't see them anywhere, then she looked back and realized that their baggy winter coats had blended in with the rocks off the polar bear exhibit. They were looking through a window to see a bear playing with a plastic barrel. Lilo scanned it. "It's one of us!" she called. "It has the parasite too. We must free it from this captivity so that it can assist our efforts in overtaking the Federation!" Anna started to panic again.

By the time Lilo had managed to climb halfway up the rock wall, Kristoff had caught up to them and plucked her from it, holding her in a terrified bear hug. "Oh no, you don't. That bear is a sleeper agent. If it's not here, then your spy network won't be properly placed."

Anna let out a breath that she hadn't known she'd been holding. She hadn't taken a step. She had frozen in place while Kristoff saved the day. She wanted to throw herself into the polar bear exhibit.  _If Kristoff hadn't been here, Lilo could've died. Nani would've killed me. I won't freeze like that again, I can't. I wouldn't have for Olaf, right?_  She recalled running to Olaf's bedroom every time he screamed in his sleep. He hadn't had those nightmares in a while, but it had used to be a common occurrence. She knew that she'd be there for him. She had to be.  _Just think of Lilo as an extension of Olaf, she practically is, then Mama instincts will kick in, right?_

She caught up to them as Lilo and Olaf scanned Kristoff, realizing that he was another of their numbers.  _I'm starting to feel left out._  "I suppose I'll trust you," Lilo announced. "We won't free our agent. Not today."  _I am not taking her to the zoo again._

Kristoff smiled back. "He'll know when it's time and free himself. Trust your minions."  _Can only blondes handle her?_

She nodded gravely. "You're right. I need to stop trying to run everything. The Federation shall be ours."

Olaf cheered. "Yeah! We're gonna rule."

"Now who wants to see if the monkeys are still out in this weather?"

He didn't have to ask them twice. The three ran on ahead, leaving Anna to race after them. She caught up as they were staring down into an empty pit. "They're not here," Kristoff cried.  _I forgot how much he loved monkeys._

Anna pointed at the sign. "This is the red panda exhibit."

They all stared at her.

She pointed at another one. "The monkeys are in that building."

Lilo scanned her. "All right, we can trust her."  _Does that mean I'm an alien parasite too?_ Olaf grabbed his toy back from her and Anna led them into the primate house. It smelled like hay and feces, but not enough to make her run back into the February Portland cold. Some howler monkeys were visible to their immediate left, with a few great apes lining the walls in massive rooms. Kristoff ran ahead, but stopped himself long enough to wave for the kids to follow.

Anna took a seat on a bench and watched the three of them go ape. She was far too proud of that pun. While she waited, she checked her phone and saw a text from Elsa. Her face flushed slightly, but she didn't feel any urge to confess her love or do anything else stupid. It read 'Tell Olaf happy birthday. I hope he likes my present. I've been in court all day, but I'll call when I get home.' Her present was sitting along with all of the others in the back of Anna's Kia. It had arrived already wrapped, so Ana had no idea what it was, but she suspected that it was ludicrously overpriced.  _Maybe I should really see if Olaf can get her to buy me that new car. Mine is starting to really show its age, and it's become a bit of a gas guzzler._

"Hi, Mama!" She looked up from her phone to see Olaf barely a foot from her face. "Are you okay?"

She pulled him into a hug, smiling softly at her absurdly caring son. "I'm fine. Go play with the other kids," she gestured toward Lilo and Kristoff, "it's your birthday. I just wanted to rest my feet for a few minutes."

"Okay, Mama." He squeezed her tightly and ran off to join Kristoff and Lilo, as his father scanned a baboon with the tricorder.

"Fascinating," Kristoff said, his voice scarcely louder than a whisper. "It's not one of us, and yet it shows signs of intelligence far beyond the humans and the rest of their Federation."

Anna chuckled as she typed out a reply to her sister. 'We're not opening presents until dinner. I'm sure yours is gonna be great though.'  _I forgot to tell him! '_ I'll tell Olaf that you said happy birthday, though you'll get to do so yourself when you call.' She hit send and then typed out a message to Moana. 'Your present arrived yesterday and I had to tear Olaf away to keep him from opening it early. I can't wait to see you next week. It feels like it's been forever.' She avoided pondering over why talking to her sister would make her think of her girlfriend.

The three parasitic alien creatures ran up to her.  _So, am I one too? That's what Lilo meant when she said I could be trusted, right?_ "You ready to go look at the lions?" Kristoff asked.

"Lions!" Lilo squealed.

Anna put her phone back in her purse and followed them to the lion exhibit. It was on the other side of the zoo and they paused to check out the zebras, tapirs, hippos, and ocelots, who all presumably had some form of heating. When they found the lions, Lilo roared at one. It roared back. She roared again and it roared back. "That's not what lions sound like!" she cried.

"Yeah it is." Olaf pointed at the lion as evidence.

"It's not what they sound like in Lion King," she grumbled. The roar she was expecting sounded from behind them and she turned to find the tiger enclosure. "My entire life has been a lie."

Olaf patted her on the shoulder. "Wanna scan the tigers?" He offered her the tricorder.

"Yes," she muttered, yanking the toy away. She held it up, pointing it at the jungle cat. "It says it's actually a lion. It's just in disguise."

"That makes sense." Olaf nodded.

Anna rolled her eyes. She heard a buzz coming from her purse and pulled her phone out. She was almost happy to find that she was a little disappointed it was Elsa. She'd wanted to hear back from her girlfriend. Good. She swiped the answer icon and held the phone to her ear. "Hey, Elsa."

"Hey, Anna. The case is insane." Anna could see Elsa shaking her head, exhausted as she fell into the couch. She knew it was probably not an accurate image, but part of her loved the idea of seeing her coming home from work, worn out and looking to Anna to help her relax. She threw that thought as far away as she could. "How's the birthday boy doing?"

"He's decided that he's a parasitic alien bent on taking over the Federation."

"Oh, that's good."

Olaf stared at her, wide eyed. "She's your sensei, you can trust her," Anna replied, holding the phone away from her mouth. "Did you want to talk to him?" she asked the phone.

"I do."

She handed the phone to her son. "Hi, Sensei! Thank you. You got me a present?" His face lit up. "I can't wait to see it. Mama and Papa are mean and won't let me open my presents until dinner. Yeah, they're glaring at me now. Yes. Okay." He looked to his mother. "Sensei Elsa says you should let me open my present before we eat." He put the phone back to his ear. "We're at the zoo. Yeah, it's great. Lilo is here too. I think she wants to talk to you. Okay."

He handed the phone to Lilo. "Hi, Sensei. I have continued my training. I will. Thank you. Do I have to? Fine. I guess. Yes, Sensei. The Federation deserves it! I understand. I'll try to go easy on Nani. Thank you, Sensei. A jedi robe? Oh, Olaf gets one too? Fine. I guess that's okay. Thanks, Sensei. Fine, I'll give you to Olaf."

She handed the phone back to Olaf. "Yes. Thank you, Aunt Elsa. Okay, here, Mama."

Anna took it and stared at the two of them. "What was all that about?" she asked Elsa.

"Jedi-ninja secrets."

Anna narrowed her eyes. "I'm his mother."

"And I'm his sensei. And his aunt, so let me spoil him once in a while."

 _Just once in a while? You spoil him all the time. Spoil me!_ "Fine."

"I won't keep you. Have fun at the zoo, and make sure he sees my present! I spent so long researching it. I really hope he likes it."

"I'm sure he will."

"It's a Millenium Falcon drone. I thought he was into Star Wars, and now I'm worried."

"He likes both." Anna was smiling so hard it hurt. She loved how much her sister cared about her kid.  _She'd be a great mom. Shut up, me!_

She shook her head and realized that Elsa had been talking. "–Probably right. I just wanted to make it perfect."

"I'm sure he'll love it. Don't worry so much."

She could hear Elsa sighing over the phone. She imagined her chewing on her lower lip as she wrung her hands. "Okay. You're right. I don't want to keep you. You have fun at the zoo. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay. Love you, Elsa."

"Love you too, Anna. Have a good night." The phone clicked.

Olaf, Lilo, and Kristoff had run off to stare at a sleeping cheetah. "I bet it sleeps fast too," Olaf mused.

Anna joined them, and they spent another hour at the zoo, taking in the few exhibits they'd missed. Kristoff wanted to look at the monkeys again, but Anna was hungry and Olaf really wanted to open his presents already, so he gave in and they made their way to Chuck E. Cheese's.

Kristoff made a run to her car to grab the last load of presents while Anna watched the kids as they waited for their pizza. They had already been serenaded by the robotic animal people. The final box resting before Olaf, Kristoff fell into his chair. "You can open them now," Anna announced. She looked at the pile of gifts that all but blocked her view of her son, and quickly found the present from Elsa, wrapped in a sparkling sky blue paper. She knew how nervous Elsa was about it, and wanted to make sure that she could assuage her sister's fears before she went to bed. She handed the present to him as he eyed the pile, trying to decide where to start. "Here, open this, it's from your sensei."

He beamed back at her as he tore into the pristine wrapping. "Woah," he breathed, staring at the drone.  _I really hope it's safe for kids._ She tried to get a good look at any warnings on the box without taking it away from her son. "It's so cool! Lilo, look!" He held up the Millenium Falcon.

Lilo's eyes widened as she climbed out of her seat to get a closer look. "It's the Millenium Falcon!" she confirmed.

"You know what that means?"

She made a surprisingly impressive Wookie noise.  _Why am I surprised? Of course Lilo can roar._   _She already showed that lion._ "I take it you like it?" Anna asked.

"I LOVE IT!" Olaf shouted, attempting to rip open the box.

Anna set her hand on his. "You can play with it when we get home. You're not flying it in here, it could hit someone."

He pouted at her, but quickly gave in when she set another present before him. Anna hastily texted Elsa to let her know that he loved her present, while he tore open the Star Trek wrapping paper that Moana had used.  _Where do I find these nerds?_ "I can be a captain?" He held up a red and black shirt with a Federation insignia on it. Anna vaguely recognized it, but it looked different from what she'd seen in the TV show so far.

"It's the command officer shirt from the movies! I always wanted one of those!" Kristoff squealed, affectionately stroking the fabric.  _Seriously, where?_

"It's a First Officer shirt," Lilo insisted. "I'm the captain!"  
"Lilo," Anna growled.  _Why is she so bad at handling other people's birthdays?_

She stomped her foot. "I'm the captain!"

Anna glared down at her, placing her hand on her hips in her perfectly but rarely used angry mom pose. Olaf so rarely required it. "Lilo."

"Fine. He can be captain. Just for today."

Olaf pulled another present from the pile, this one looked like Giselle's. There were a couple others with similar 'Happy Birthday' wrapping paper, one of which was from Kristoff, but it looked like the one Giselle had handed off to her that morning in the parking lot. He tugged it open, the wrapping neatly falling apart.  _A trick of Jack's, I assume? "Oh."_ He sounded a little disappointed, but she wasn't quite sure. "I don't have this one yet." Anna let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't as ecstatic as he had been for the last two presents, but he did like it. He held up a pack of two Amibos, one Mario and the other Luigi. She had no idea what they were, but apparently it was a thing that he'd wanted. "I wonder what they get me."

"Me next!" Lilo shoved a present that looked like it had been wrapped by a rabid orangutan.  _I wonder how she got along with the orangutans. I hadn't watched._

Olaf tore open the four layers of wrapping paper before he found a Metaknight figure.  _It's a thing I know!_ "Nani got me a Kirby." She grinned. "I wanted the Metaknight too, but I guess I'm okay with you having it."

He opened it and poked Lilo in the nose with Metaknight's sword. Anna tried not to laugh too hard. He found the present from Kristoff and managed to open it. It was almost as big as he was. "A new bike?" He stared up at his dad. Olaf had been getting a little big for his trike, but the tiny car Elsa had bought him the last year had allowed them to put off this decision for another year.

Kristoff nodded. "With training wheels. I thought maybe that was something we could do when you're visiting, teach you to ride one like a big boy. I'll be able to take the training wheels off when you're ready and then you can ride it all over the place. The woods by my apartment aren't too dense and I bet they'd be great for it."

Anna glared at him.  _He would just let Olaf bike around outside? On his own?_ They could discuss this later, but they would most certainly be discussing it. He stared at her, dumbfounded, when he sat back down. "Anna?"  
She shook her head and passed Olaf the next gift. This one was from Esmeralda. She hadn't even told her it was going to be Olaf's birthday, she'd just found it waiting for her in her classroom after lunch. She hoped it was nothing too horrifying. "Mama, can I?"

She turned her attention away from her ex-husband.  _How bad is it?_ Her eyes fell upon a small electric guitar, perfect for Olaf's size, with an amplifier almost as big as he was.  _No wonder it was so heavy. I don't know if I can afford lessons._  She sighed, but gave her son a smile. "I think the giant mouse person might get offended if you play over him, but we can look up some videos to teach you how to play when we get home?"

"Okay." He nodded, a massive goofy grin plastered to his face. He'd gotten an impressive haul.  _I guess this is what happens when your friends know you can't afford to spoil your kid._ She nervously handed him her own gift, terrified that it couldn't compete with the presents everyone else had given him.

She could barely look as he unwrapped it. She felt ridiculous. She could've come up with something so much better. She'd just thought if he loves sci-fi, and laser guns and such, then why wouldn't he like it. "This is amazing!" He squeaked excitedly as he held the present up to Lilo. It was a cheap little laser tag set, with two sets of straps that secured a receiver to your chest and back and two laser guns.

"Oh yeah." Lilo eyed the guns appreciatively. "I can't wait to try this baby out." She made a gun out of her fingers and pointed it at the massive mouse on the stage. "Pew."

Anna felt a surge of relief flow through her. So she hadn't been crazy, it really was something he'd like. It had been on sale. She felt bad spending so little on him. She did some quick mental arithmetic to see if she could afford getting him anything else. Other than the plastic medieval armor he'd wanted that had been just over ten bucks and was sitting in another box, she was pretty sure she couldn't have managed any more without having to skimp on something minor like food or gas.

Before he could open any more presents, their food was brought out. "Cheese pizza, for the birthday boy," the waitress announced, as she set a plate before Olaf before serving everyone else. Olaf and Lilo devoured their food in record time, then begged them for some more money for the arcade games. "You don't want to open the rest of the presents?" Anna asked.

"Of course I do." Olaf smiled earnestly. "I just also really want to play games."

"Okay." She reached for her purse but Kristoff stopped her.

"I told you. I've got this." He handed them each a ten dollar bill. Olaf looked between his presents and the collection of machines making their cacophony of noises.

"Go on. You can open some more later." Anna smiled down at him.

He nodded and the two ran off to a coin machine. She sighed and looked to Kristoff. She still needed to lecture him, but it was hard when he'd just saved her butt.

"The bike thing?" he asked in response to the look she was giving him.

"How can you just let him out on his own?"

"It's what we both did as kids. I didn't know you too well back then, but I know you had a bike that you made good use of and that you still have a scar from one of those outings."

Anna stared at her shoulder. She couldn't see it through her shirt, but she knew the shallow line was barely visible anymore. "That's exactly the problem. Olaf doesn't need any scars."

He squinted at her. "You don't want him to enjoy his childhood like we did? Anna, the world is a safer place than it's ever been. Let him go have fun, scrape his knee, learn some things, maybe catch some bugs. It's what he's going to want to do, and it gets him some exercise. He is a little –" Anna's glare silenced him before he could finish that sentence. "I just want him to be healthy and happy, okay? I promise I'll keep an eye on him, and by the time that he's ready to go off on his own like that, I'll get him a cell phone with parental tracking."

That only irritated her more. "You don't have to be the one getting him everything!"

With a quick pat on her back, Kristoff replied, "Yes, I do. I wanted you two to have the house, because a big place to live is good for him, but I know how little you make. I'm trying to help out, and not just because of a court order, I'd do more if I thought there was any chance you'd accept it."  _I should've asked for alimony._ "You're a teacher. I sell cars, and I'm pretty good at it. I can afford this, you can't. I can buy him a phone so we can keep track of him, I can make sure that he has clothes he can grow into each year. You just worry about feeding him and keeping a roof over his head, and I can still take care of the rest."

She hated how reasonable he was being, it made her anger seem so wrong. "I should be able to look after our son. I shouldn't have to rely on everyone else." Fighting back tears, she stared into Kristoff's eyes. "I know you're his father, and I'm so glad that he has you looking out for him, but I hate that I can't do more. I need to be able to provide for my son. Hell, I need to know that I can keep him safe, and after that display with Lilo earlier, I don't even know if I can do that.

He blinked, tilting his head slightly. "Anna –"

"You just ran for her and pulled her down from the wall. I stood there, doing nothing." The tears finally came. "She's my best friend's kid – well, little sister. I'm supposed to look after her, and if you weren't here, she would've been eaten by a polar bear. Or maybe eaten a polar bear, it's tough to tell with her," she added, trying to lighten the mood a little. They weren't friends, she shouldn't just be venting to him.  
She was a bit unnerved when he pulled her into a hug. "You're being ridiculous, Anna." He pulled back, looking into her tear filled eyes, then sat back in his chair, clearly worried he may have broken a few rules. "I know you. If I wasn't already running for her, you'd have done it. You had the luxury to freeze because I was already handling it. That's all I'm trying to do with the money. You don't need to do everything. Just because we're not together anymore doesn't mean I'm not still family. He's my son."

She chewed on her lip and took a sip of her diet coke. "Fine. Thank you. It just feels so weird still relying on you."

He patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Now if you'll excuse me, they just ran over to the Metal Slug machine, and I haven't played that in at least a decade."

Left alone again, Anna stared at the pile of presents and torn up wrapping paper on the table and let out a shuddering breath. She had so many people she could count on. She just wished that she was one of them.  _I should've become an accountant. Then I could afford everything._ She leaned back in the chair, watching the three kids rapidly mash buttons on an arcade cabinet. She checked her phone and felt her heart flutter. 'I'll be in town this weekend. It was a bitch to arrange it, but I'll be there Friday, and won't be leaving until Tuesday. See you then?' She'd see Moana soon. That might be enough to help her keep her sanity.


	31. Elsa - This is My Kingdom

* * *

Elsa rose from bed, leaving Tiana to sleep while she showered. By the time she'd finished making coffee, she heard her girlfriend stirring upstairs and set out another cup for her. After a few more minutes, Tiana made her way downstairs, wearing a pink bathrobe and yawning. She took a sip of her coffee and sat at their counter, covering another yawn with her hand.

"You're up late, today." It was a little past seven and decidedly unlike Tiana.

"I'm still on West Coast time." She interrupted herself with another yawn. She'd been just as bad when she'd come back from Seattle. After a week in California, Elsa could hardly blame her for being tired.

"Then go back to bed."

She shook her head. "No, it's too late for that, and besides I wanted to see you off before you left for court. Did you want me to watch?"

Elsa considered this. Having her there when she'd lost had meant a lot to her, but admitting that she wanted it would feel like she was saying that she thought she was going to lose. "It's fine. It's just the first day of trial. Besides, I actually have a case this time. You don't need to worry."

Her eyelids were drooping shut but she shook herself awake and forced a large gulp of coffee down her throat. "All right. I believe in you, Elsa. You'll do amazingly." Another yawn.

"Go back to sleep. Tiana, it's like four a.m. for you. It's not unreasonable to sleep more."

"No, I'm fine. I'm gonna go for a jog. After that and a nice warm shower, I'll feel right as rain." She stood from the stool as she drained the rest of her coffee. "You about to head out?"

Elsa nodded and poured some coffee into a travel cup. "Yeah. The case starts at 9:00. Figured I'd meet with Albert to make sure we had our strategy straight." She took a sip of her own coffee and eyed a few leftover muffins Tiana had baked the previous day.

"Yes, those are for you. Take them."

Elsa turned her gaze back to Tiana, smiling innocently. "I never take breakfast. Don't be ridiculous."

"Unless you're meeting Gaston at Oaken's, I don't see how you'd end up eating at any point then."  _I guess she's awake enough to lecture me._

"I hate eating this early. I'll just grab something at the coffee shop in the courthouse. I'll be fine."

Tiana rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying you need to eat them now. Just take a couple muffins and you can eat them later." Her tone brooked no argument.

"Fine." Elsa sighed and put a couple of the lemon poppy seed muffins in one of the untold numbers of Styrofoam contains that Tiana kept. "But I'm only taking them because they're delicious, not because you told me to."

"I'm too tired to argue. Fine, you are a strong independent woman, and you're not just doing what I tell you. I don't care."

"Love you too."

"You damn well better after I made those muffins for you." She poured herself another cup of coffee and drained it. "I'm gonna go change into some jogging clothes. Wait here a minute and I'll walk you out?"

Elsa pointed at the garage. "You wouldn't be walking me out anywhere. They're opposite directions. The front door is actually on the way to the garage if that's what you want. I could walk you to it."

Her eyes narrowing, Tiana spat back, "Just wait a few minutes, I'll be right back."

True to her word, two minutes later, Tiana came back down the stairs wearing purple jogging pants and a tightly fitting hoodie. "See, did that wait kill you?"  
"Yes, twice."

Tiana just glared at her again.

"You're not fun when you're sleepy."

"Would it be fun if I spanked you?"

Elsa paused, taking her time to really think about this. After a moment she nodded, and smiled at her partner. "Yeah, that would be pretty fun. Why do you ask?"

She shook her head and slapped Elsa's ass. It was presented rather clearly for her, the way the black fabric of Elsa's dress clung to it. "Good. Now that you're having fun again, go get some kid off of his murder charges. I love you."

Elsa pulled her to her, their lips meeting in a heated kiss. Her arms clung to Tiana as she felt a surprised exhale before Tiana returned the favor, melting into the kiss. When they pulled apart, Tiana looked back at her through half-lidded eyes. "Don't fall asleep on me now, honey."

"No, that definitely woke me up. I might not even need that jog anymore. Other than for health and fitness reasons." She pulled her knee to her chest, stretching as she admired Elsa.

"I'll see you tonight. Have a good run."

She popped in her earbuds and slid her finger across the screen of her phone. "I always do."

Elsa and Gaston had almost finished competing to see who had the biggest ego when they sat down on a bench outside of their appointed courtroom. They still had half an hour, but they wanted to be there before their client arrived. It was never a great idea to leave them unsupervised. It could cost you a case. "I'm just saying, I think the closing would be much better in my hands," Elsa continued. "I mean of course we'll let you do your crosses, you're intimidating, you'll get them all to confess whatever you want, and your presence lends a lot to our case, but juries just don't respond to you the same way. I think it's safest if I close."

With a bark a laughter, Gaston smirked at her. "You keep saying this. I think you just don't like sharing. You do the opening, so that you can bring the jury in and make them trust us and trust our client. You're great at that, you manipulate and control, and you have this presence that makes no one question a word you say. You need me to do the closing though. I've been doing closing arguments for thirty years. I can read a jury. I know what every one of them will vote, and I know not to stop talking until I've convinced them."

Elsa shook her head, a grave expression on her face as she looked up at the burly man. "Now that's just absurd. You're not thinking things through. Like you said, no one would ever doubt a word I say, so if I tell them in the closing that there's reasonable doubt, then there's reasonable doubt." Gaston had done too good of a job distracting her. She didn't even think of the last time that hadn't worked out for her. She'd had a few cases since, and won all but one of them – a minor dispute where her client had violated far too many sections of the lease for the tenant to not be able to fight the eviction, but it was hardly the end of the world to see that asshole face some consequences – but she had been worried about her performance in another murder trial. At least, she had been until Gaston stoked the fires of her competitive spirit.

"Yeah, but they'll already trust you from the opening. You don't need to waste those powers on closing. Just let me take care of that. You can have sex with a gorgeous celebrity while I'm writing my closing argument. See, I'm doing you a favor." His teeth showed in his characteristic goofy grin. Elsa couldn't believe she'd once found it smug and punchable. She now knew it was dumb and silly, just like its owner.

"She'll probably be out of town anyway."  _She said she'd be here for the end of the trial. Maybe she can actually keep that promise for once. Well, not for once, she did it before. I just feel like I barely see her._ "Really you'd be doing me a favor letting me take it off your hand. I'll need something to distract me from the empty house. I'm sure you have way more interesting things to do. Find your own celebrity girlfriend, or boyfriend, whichever."

He eyed her. "What was that?"

Elsa blinked, tilting her head to suggest her complete bewilderment. "What do you mean?"  _The old homophobe rears his ugly head again? Here I was thinking he'd changed._

"Is she really away that much? I mean I know you say it a lot, and now that I think about it the only time I've ever visited she wasn't there, but is it really that consistent?"  _Is that really what he was asking about? He's joking right?_ "She's not neglecting you, is she? I know my hypothetical celebrity boyfriend wouldn't reject me. I'm too pretty."

Elsa wasn't entirely sure she could process all that.  _So he's concerned for me, called himself gay, and is implying I'm ugly? Where do I even begin._ "Like you could even get a celebrity boyfriend," she offered meekly.

"That's fair. I'll just have to settle for that cute blonde over at the coffee shop. Bet you a hundred bucks I can get her number."

Elsa let out a sigh of relief. This was a Gaston she could handle. Crass, maybe a little misogynistic, not whatever that previous incarnation had been. "I'll bet you a thousand, if I get to tell her there's a bet first."

With a snort, he crossed his legs and folded his arms across his chest as he stared at the door. "That's not playing fair."

"Fine, you can have the closing."

The goofy grin returned as he turned back to her, a cheerful glint in his eyes. "Now you're fun again."

Elsa lightly chuckled, but before she could offer any sort of retort, their client found them. "Oh, it was 3A! I thought it was 2A. I'm not late am I."

Gaston checked his watch. "Nope, you're right on time." He rose and smacked the young man on his back. "Let's get inside."

In the courtroom, once they were all seated again, Judge Vasilovich set the room in order. "I see a lot of press here, they've already been at work attempting to poison the jury pool, but I'll have you know, I will not allow any interruptions, hi-jinks, or hullabaloo."  _Hullabaloo?_ "You will remain quiet and treat my courtroom with the respect that it deserves. That goes for the lawyers as well. I know all about the chicanery the three of you are known for."  _How am I included in this?_ "This a serious case. A man's life is on the line and a woman's life is over."  _That's a bit melodramatic. We don't have the death penalty._ "If any of you, the audience included, do anything to diminish the sanctity of this trial, then I shall hold you in contempt."

Elsa ground her teeth. She wasn't sure what he'd heard of her, but she couldn't imagine what she'd done that could be described in such a way. She wasn't entirely sure what she could do to avoid that. She ran her hands through her hair, toying with the neat braid she'd put it in that morning, as she watched the other two attorneys he'd just called out. Facilier seemed unfazed, his usual amused smirk stable on his face. Gaston on the other hand was almost snarling. He had been so excited to go up against Facilier. Both of them being hamstrung like this was clearly spoiling his fun. "Sure you don't want me to handle the closing?" she asked.

That managed to distract him. His teeth shone as he met her with a wolfish grin. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? If I just gave in, because the judge didn't want me to play. I'm going to knock that closing argument out of the park, Elsa. Just you wait and see."

With a shrug, Elsa leaned back in her chair. "Whatever you say, Asshole." Her ploy had done its job. His competitive spirit was back. He wouldn't be impotently gnashing his teeth over their judge's demands any longer.

Judge Vasilovich cleared his throat. He was apparently sparing with his gavel. "Now that you've had time to bemoan my rules, Mr. Facilier, would you care to give us your opening statement."

Facilier's eye's widened, and his hand flew to his chest. His mouth dropped open as he met the judge's eyes. "Me, your honor? I thought you didn't want me opening my mouth. I was kinda hoping you'd just keep it up and I wouldn't even have to try the case. Then I'd get a mistrial and could try again with a more fun judge."

Anya had always made Vasilovich sound so good humored, Elsa was confused by just how serious he was.  _I guess the robes can change anyone._ Though that explanation didn't entirely hold up, as he was a judge then too.  _He's just a dick in court? I wish I could relate. I'm a dick all the time._ "Mr. Facilier. I have been very accommodating so far, but if you continue, then I will hold you in contempt."

"Just so long as you hold me." He unbuttoned his garish green jacket as he stood, assuming a more relaxed posture. Elsa hadn't realized just how tall he was. "Well I suppose if you're going to allow it, I do have an opening statement I can give." He eyed the jury like a predator, his teeth bared in what must've been an affable grin. "Jury, friends, lovers, I know none of you want to be here today. Normally I'd try to make that fun, but instead, I'll just have to spend my time giving you the facts. This man," he pointed at Eric – he had fingers made for pointing, the gesture appeared dramatic and compelling, not at all hokey "has taken the life of an innocent girl. She had a future ahead of her. Ariel Neptunus, captain of the debate team at New York State, an anthropology major, a girl with hopes and dreams. A girl who he murdered. I'd love to make this fun, but it isn't. As Judge Vasilovich points out, this is a deadly serious matter. Don't let his charming looks beguile you, beneath those perfect black locks, that you just kinda want to stroke – is that just me?" He beamed at Vasilovich. "I'm sorry. If I don't try to make myself laugh at this, I don't think I could even face him. He is the most unrepentant monster I've ever had the chance to oppose in my tenure as district attorney."  _You've been DA for barely a month!_ "I hope that you will be able to see that. I will demonstrate that he had motive, means, and opportunity, while no one else did. Until then, I guess you'd best just try to sit through my opposing counsel's defense of this monster without hurling." He gave only a faint pained smile to the judge as he made his way back to his seat.

Elsa just stared before her, not moving an inch. She had no idea what had just happened.  _Was that a good opening? Bad? Did he minimize everything or did he just make me look like a monster for defending my client? I'm really good at this, I can tell every single mistake or triumph that someone has in court. This is my kingdom. What the hell did this jester just pull?_

Gaston nudged her with his elbow and jerked his chin toward the jury. "Do I need to take the opening too?"  
Elsa tried to shake some sense back into herself.  _I guess he did do a good job. He shook me. Well, I'll use that to my advantage._ She didn't rise, she only turned a sad gaze to the jury. "I too share my colleague's disgust. Disgust that a good man could face prison for a crime he didn't commit. Disgust for a distract attorney who seems intent on making a mockery of this case. Disgust at a police department who investigated no one but my client. She stood, the dour dress giving her demeanor an extra touch of seriousness. "Eric Clements was worried about his girlfriend. He went to check on her and found her dead. In shock, he tried to save her life, using his CPR training in an attempt to resuscitate her. He then called the police, terrified and mourning the loss of a woman who was still very dear to him. To repay his diligence, they vilified him in the media and arrested him on camera, then and there. This is not justice, and that was not the behavior of a guilty man. Don't let the prosecution manipulate you into believing otherwise. You'll hear my client's testimony, you'll hear his pain over the loss of Ariel, and you'll see that this is no monster, this is a poor innocent man who has been through far too much in far too short a time." She met each of their eyes as she spoke this last sentence, conveying the pain that her client had experienced as sincerely as she could. She took her seat again, the jury watching her the entire way. She'd managed to undo any damage Facilier may have done, she was almost certain of it. She just had to hope she'd also compelled them enough that his litany of witnesses wouldn't overwhelm their newfound empathy.

After a quick recess, during which Elsa ate one of the muffins Tiana had all but forced her to take and finished her coffee, said litany finally began. The prosecution's first witness was called and sworn in and Facilier began his questioning.

"Professor McLeash," he began, "Would you explain your relationship to the victim? I'll remind you that you are under oath, so please be honest with us." He smiled at the jury, that same snake-like grin, as if he wanted to swallow them whole.

The professor fidgeted in his seat, twirling his hands and shifting back and forth in the chair. He cleared his throat, his almost black eyes searching around the room. "I didn't realize it would be quite so public. Are those cameras recording?"

Facilier turned his affably ravenous grin to his witness. "Please, professor, answer the question."

He grumbled and adjusted in his seat again, sitting up straight as he hung his head behind his lawyer, avoiding the cameras the best he could. "We were dating. Are there any protections as a witness so that I can keep my job?"

"Nope." he shook his head bending over slightly, revealing McLeash to any cameras that couldn't see him, "Now would you tell the jury what Ms. Neptuna told you about the defendant?"

"Objection," Elsa offered.

He waved his hand. "Come now, Ms. Agnarrsen, I thought we were playing fair. This would qualify as at least three exceptions to the hearsay rule."

Judge Vasilovich banged his gavel.  _How am I the first of us to get him to use it?_  "Sit down, Ms. Agnarssen, your objection is overruled."

She ground her teeth as she watched the proceedings. Gaston smiled warmly at her and she glared in response.

"Do you need me to repeat the question?" Facilier asked.

"No, I can answer it." He sighed. "Ariel had come to me a few nights before her death. She seemed terrified, she was shaking. She locked the door behind her and threw herself into my arms, whatever had happened, it had quite an effect on her. She told me that she was scared for her life, that she thought Eric would hurt her. That man there." He pointed.  _Great job coaching him, Facilier._ "She refused to tell me what had happened, she said she didn't want to talk about it, only that she wanted me to keep her safe, that she needed to be with me. She even asked me to see if I could get him expelled."

"What did you do?"

He tugged awkwardly at his collar. "I looked after her all night, but I didn't have any grounds to expel him. I thought that maybe she was worried over nothing. He could be a bit of a creep, but I didn't think he'd actually hurt her."  _There we go._  "If only I'd done something. It might have cost me my job but she'd be safe."

"It wasn't your fault. It was his." Facilier turned his venomous gaze to Eric as he returned to his seat. "No further questions, though I would like to maintain my right to recall him."

"Noted." Vasilovich turned to Elsa and Gaston. "Defense, your witness."

Before Elsa could react, Gaston had already risen. He whispered to her, "The jury trusts you, this is gonna risk alienating them, let me do it." He made his way over to the witness, adjusting the orange tie of his grey three-piece suit as he walked. He looked far more assertive than Facilier, like he owned the place. Elsa had never actually seen him in court before, now that she thought about it.  _I hope he's actually good._ "Mr. McLeash, you say that you didn't take her claims seriously, isn't that correct?"

"I wish that I had now."  
"But at the time, you saw no reason to think that Eric would hurt her? There was nothing to suggest it?"

He lowered his head. Elsa wasn't sure if he was hiding from the cameras or Gaston. "I knew that they'd had their issues before, but to my knowledge they were friendly, and she trusted him now. I wasn't all that involved in her social life."

"So you wouldn't know if she might have had anyone else that wanted to hurt her?"

"I think she would have told me. She didn't seem scared of anyone else, just Eric."

"That's what you said." Gaston leaned against the witness stand, his mouth almost conspiratorially close to McLeash's ear, despite speaking loud enough for the jury to hear clearly. "No one that we interviewed seemed to believe that he'd been violent to her. You're the only person who's had this story to share. Maybe you weren't all that concerned about it, because it didn't happen. Perhaps it was because she was killed by someone else, who then needed to cover their tracks. Maybe," he paused, as if he was considering, "someone like you."

"Objection!" Facilier called out, his chair flying back as he stood up, his finger pointing dramatically at Gaston. "This line of questioning is out of line, Mr. Gaston. I thought you were better than this." His sneer and his offense seemed genuine, but Elsa could was almost certain that it was an act. He'd set them up.

"You'd better have a good faith basis for this line of questioning, Mr. Gaston." Vasilovich glared down at him, his already imposing figure only added to by the height of his station.

Gaston's teeth flashed as he held his hands out to his side. "Of course, your honor. We've interviewed several of Ariel's closest acquaintances, none of whom had heard of any sort of incident with Eric in the time before her death. Dr. McLeash here, however has a clear motive. He was worried he'd lose his job. He's put that fear above everything else this whole time. If he'd just dumped her, perhaps he thought she'd tell the school board. He's clearly not against putting his livelihood at risk to get his jollies off, murder doesn't seem an unreasonable leap from there. Of course, the police didn't even bother looking into him, so we can't be sure, but he has a far more salient motive than my client."

Vasilovich considered this, stroking the coarse grey and black hair of his beard. "I'll allow it, but you're on thin ice, Mr. Gaston."

Gaston winked at Elsa. "I always am. Now, professor, would you answer the question?"

"I didn't kill her. Of course, I didn't. How dare you!" he snarled, a panicked expression on his reddened face. "Accusing me like this – in front of these cameras – I'll have your head. You'll be disbarred."  
"So you didn't?" He smiled calmly and warmly, goading on the man's rage. He'd already just said he'd take his head, it wasn't hard to see it as a death threat.

His face stilled. He wasn't falling for this trap. "I wasn't even in town. I couldn't be the killer."

Gaston paused, hesitating as he stared at the witness, his mouth slightly open as if he had the next question but couldn't quite form it into words. "No further questions." When he sat down, Elsa could almost watch the pistons pumping as he tried to sort out just what hole he'd fallen in. "That was a setup," he whispered.

Elsa nodded.

Facilier rose. "I don't have any more questions for him at this time, however I would like to call Professor Harcourt."

"Your honor, they don't have a Professor Harcourt on the witness list," Elsa replied.

"Well, of course, I had no way of knowing that you'd accuse my witness of murder. He needs an alibi, and I'd like to offer that now."

Judge Vasilovich turned his gaze to Elsa and Gaston. "You opened the door on this. I'll allow it." He looked back to Facilier. "Will you be able to bring Professor Harcourt in today?"

"Of course. He's right outside. Should I go get him?"

Both Elsa and Gaston managed to maintain their composure. Barely.  _That settles that. He wanted to make us look bad. Great. He played us like fucking amateurs._ Judge Vasilovich glared at him. "Am I to believe that you set this up entirely and that your man is waiting right outside, listening to another witness's testimony?"

"He wasn't a witness at the time. Though of course I was only joking. I'd only discussed the possibility with him. I can get him in tomorrow." Elsa watched him, wondering if he really had been joking. She was convinced that if she ran out right now, she could find this professor. Though, of course, she didn't know what he looked like, so it wouldn't amount to much.

"Very well. We'll adjourn for the day. Court shall resume at ten o'clock tomorrow. Court's dismissed."

Elsa and Gaston took their client back to the office to debrief him and prepare their case. They went to Gaston's office, it was larger and had more chairs. Elsa noticed a half empty bottle of Irish whiskey on a shelf amid an assortment of other bottles.  _Wonder if that's the same one from a month ago? I could go for some right now._ Albert sat behind his desk with Elsa at the side of it, and Eric in a smaller, slightly less plush chair facing them. Elsa was annoyed that this chair was somehow even nicer than her office chair. I  _hunted down the best one I could find anywhere, how is this one more comfortable?_

"Is there anything else we should know?" Elsa asked, using that same sincere voice. "Please, Eric, that was a major setback, and we need anything you can give us."

He looked between the two of them. Her words had bothered him. He was hesitant, but she wasn't sure about what, precisely.

"We can't help you if you're not honest with us," she continued.

He shrugged. Clearly he wasn't willing to give up whatever it was. "I didn't threaten her. She and I had had our issues. I wasn't always the best boyfriend, I know that. But we patched things up, she forgave me. I've really changed. I don't want to be that jerk anymore. I knew we couldn't be together anymore, but we were friends. I cared about her. I would never have hurt her – not again."  _That tells us absolutely nothing._

"How were you a jerk?" Albert asked, reclining in his chair, his feet resting on the mahogany desk. "I mean, I know how women can be. She made you angry? Maybe you had a few drinks, or too bad of a day, and she just wouldn't shut up?"

"It wasn't like that."

"She messed up dinner? Wanted to go out with her own friends? Maybe she just wouldn't stop hanging out with a guy you didn't want around her. We've all been there. You got mad, maybe you even pushed her around, and because of that they think they have motive. I know it doesn't mean anything, but I need to know what I'm dealing with so I can spin it." He winked at Elsa. "She gets it, she's a dyke."  
Eric rose from his chair and snarled at him. "I would never hurt her!"

Gaston smiled. "Good. Say that on the stand, just like that. It's perfect."

"I'm leaving. You better not be trying to cost me my trial." With a huff, he stormed out of the office.

Asshole refused to face Elsa. She was glaring daggers at him, and he apparently didn't need to look to feel it. "What the hell was that?" she asked.

"I needed to push him, see how he'd react. You know Facilier will do the same."

"Call me a dyke again, and I'll show you just 'how women can be.'"

He deflated, his feet falling from the desk as he spun his chair toward her. "Elsa –"

She silenced him with a glare. "Albert, that was disgusting. I don't care how much you thought it would prepare him, all it's done is further alienate our client and piss me right the hell off."

He sighed, his eyes finally locking onto hers. She could swear she saw tears in them. "I don't want to be that kind of person anymore, but I still know how to be and I saw a chance where I had to use it. I really think our client is innocent, but I want to be sure. If he's the man that that witness described him as, then that should've set him off. He should hate women enough that he'd want to show it when pushed like that. I had to see how he'd react. I still feel sick from having to do it. I was never actually that bad, but I hate that I could have even been in the same ballpark before I started getting to know you. I barely even saw women as people, and the kind of person who would kill his girlfriend like that, that precisely, that violently, then they'd have to have some serious hate for women. They'd be like I was. Like I'm terrified I still am. If I had to channel that to get an answer out of him then I would do it a thousand times over, Elsa."

She faltered, staring at her friend. That Irish whiskey sounded increasingly amazing. "Albert –" she wasn't sure where to go from there, what to say. "Just don't call me a dyke ever again."

He nodded. "You're right. I went too far. I'm sorry."

"And never compare me to that."

He nodded again, his eyes locked on hers.

She let out a breath, trying to collect herself. She shut her eyes, finding that some tears had welled up there without her even noticing. She opened them and met his again. "Did you learn what you needed to learn?'

"I did. He's definitely hiding something, and I don't like it, but I really don't think he killed her."  
With a sigh, Elsa stood. "Okay. Then we have one day to figure this out. What are we doing?"

They spent the next six hours going over everything they had with a fine-tooth comb. Trying to put the blame on McLeash had been a mistake, and one that they were going to pay for, but it hadn't ruined them. It was early in the case, and Albert had been wise to let it be him, Elsa shouldn't have risked the jury's trust. She may actually get to close, they'd have to wait and see how things went. Unfortunately, they couldn't find anything on this new witness. He had no connection to the case other than being at Ariel's school. She'd taken a few of his classes according to her records, but there was nothing to make him look like a suspect. There was almost no chance that either McLeash or Harcourt were the culprit. They may actually need to leave Harcourt alone. His testimony could hurt them, but all it should do was establish that McLeash wasn't the killer. It would put them back at square one, but it shouldn't make their case any worse. Badgering him would make them look bad, but leaving him alone may actually restore a bit of the jury's goodwill. They'd have to miss their opportunity. They wouldn't question him.

Once she was home, Elsa called her sister to wish Olaf a happy birthday. She was a little nervous about his present and had texted her a few times. It was so easy buying presents when she didn't know him, she'd just buy whatever seemed age appropriate, but now he had a personality, and interests, and actually liked her, and she couldn't just buy him generic stuff. She hated shopping for gifts. She was a little embarrassed to admit she'd gotten Belle's help with it.

Gaston and she had forgotten to order any food while they were working, so once she got off the phone, she was ecstatic to find that Tiana had fixed dinner for them. It was as amazing as ever, and she spent the rest of the night relaxing with her girlfriend and unwinding from the various stresses of the day.

On the way to the courthouse, Elsa decided to give Anna a call. She wanted to make sure that Olaf had actually liked his present, and she had been missing her sister. Anna answered on the second ring. "Hey, Elsa."

Elsa stared at her car's speaker before turning back to the road. "Hey. Sorry, I was expecting your voice mail. It's like six there, isn't it? I was just going to leave a message."

Anna laughed. "I just got out of the shower." She paused for a second. She was probably still waking up. "Just getting Olaf and me ready for school. Hopefully he actually stayed awake after I woke him up. I had to actually take your toy away from him to get him to go to bed."

Elsa's face lit up. It was even better than her coffee. "He really liked it?"

"Of course, he did! You're the best sensei/aunt anyone could ever ask for. He said so himself, in those exact words."

She couldn't stop smiling. She was hoping she could manage to look serious by the time trial started, goofily grinning the whole day would hardly look professional. "I'm so glad. I was really worried. I knew he liked Star Wars, but I didn't realize he was so into Star Trek, and I don't know what else he might be into, or if drones weren't actually that cool. I don't know what kids do, Anna! They're weird."

Anna's laughter was faint, like she was holding the phone away from her. It was for long enough that Elsa was growing concerned. "Sorry." She breathed heavily and another chuckle escaped. "I'm okay. I'm okay. That was adorable, Elsa. I'm really glad you like my son so much."

Chewing on her lip, Elsa tried to focus on the road.  _What if I'm wrong? What if I would actually like having a kid with Tiana? Maybe I'm worrying over nothing. I mean I'm great with Olaf and Lilo, but I don't have to do that full-time. And with Tiana away all the time –_ she shook her head and slammed on the accelerator. The light couldn't have turned green more than half a second ago and the car behind her was already honking and trying to pull around her in the two lane road. "Well that's great to hear."

"You're amazing, Elsa."

She wasn't quite sure what had prompted that. "So are you, Anna. You're the perfect little sister, and I'm so glad you're back in my life. I can't wait to see you this summer."

She heard Anna choke.  _Is_  s _he having breakfast?_

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Totally, absolutely fine. Don't worry. Just getting ready. I need to make sure Olaf is ready for school. If he falls back asleep he could miss the bus. I love you, Elsa – love you, talk to you soon, bye."

The call ended and Elsa blinked. She'd arrived at the courthouse. They both had to get to work, so she supposed she'd leave Anna to her weirdness.  _Not like that's anything new._

By 10:10, everyone was seated, and Professor Harcourt was in the witness chair. "Professor, where were you on the date of January 20th?"

"I was in Las Vegas. At a conference on anthropology."

"Was anyone with you?"  
"I was rooming with Professor McLeash."

Facilier smiled as warmly as he could manage. "Would Professor McLeash have been able to make it back to Portland, killed Ariel, cleaned up, and gotten back to the convention without you noticing?"

Harcourt laughed heartily at that. "Don't be preposterous. The man is no killer. Even if he was, I don't care how drunk we were, I would've noticed him being gone for the, what, 8 hours that would've taken? It was a two hour flight, you spend another two in security and waiting for take off, so that both ways. Everything that would involve, he'd have been gone for at least ten hours. He was never out of my sight for more than one or two."

"What if he drove?"

This prompted another bout of laughter. "That would have taken, what, ten hours? Fifteen? Then again for the drive back. There's just no way."

"Well, clearly, Professor McLeash is a diabolical man, as Mr. Gaston seems to believe, do you think there's any way he could have committed this murder? Perhaps he staged it so that it would only appear to happen once he was gone?"

He shook his head. "No, Mr. Facilier. There's not a doubt in my mind that he's innocent. I know he can have a temper, but there's not a violent bone in that man's body."

"Thank you, professor. No further questions."

 _Shit._  "We have no questions for the witness at this time, your honor."

"Very well, Dr. Harcourt. You may step down. Mr. Facilier, the prosecution may call its next witness."

He winked at Elsa, prompting a shiver and an intimate sickly feeling that was almost indescribable. He was a very bad winker. She wasn't sure what it was about Facilier that disgusted her so, he seemed almost more like a monster than a man, and yet he hadn't done anything at all untoward or unreasonable. He'd just been obnoxious. And impressive. "The prosecution calls Detective Lyle Rourke to the stand." He leaned against the stand, next to the detective, as relaxed as a snake ready to strike. "What was your involvement in the case?"

The massive grey-haired man glared at Facilier. "I was the arresting officer. I secured the scene. I live in the area."

"Did you know the victim?" Elsa didn't bother to object, it would be useful to know.

"No. I don't think I'd even seen her in passing, I live a few blocks over."

Facilier smiled coldly. "Would you describe what you saw at the scene? Mothers, cover your children's ears, cameras zoom in."

Vasilovich sneered at him, but his gavel remained where it lay.

Detective Rourke sucked on his teeth, his eyes glazing over as he tried to recollect the image. It was some good theatrics for the jury, whether or not it was real. "She was lying in the middle of the floor, in between the kitchen and the living room, partly on the carpet, partly on the hardwood. I remember because of how the blood soaked into the carpet, but at the time it was still pooling on the wood."

Facilier clicked a button and the gruesome image showed on a slide projector. "Exhibit A."

"Just like that. You can see how many times she was stabbed. There were seven knife wounds, at least, one of them looked like it might've been a double. Whoever did this had a lot of rage."

"Objection," Gaston called. "He has no basis for asserting the killer's emotion."

The judge looked to Facilier. "He's an experienced detective with years on the force."

He shook his head. "Your witness shall refrain from testifying to anyone's emotional state but his own. He should stick to the material facts, and what he witnessed."

Facilier sighed dramatically, placing his hands on his hip. "Very well, detective, continue as unemotionally as you can."

Elsa watched the jury. They seemed a bit puzzled by this development, and she wasn't sure who that objection had really helped. She was surprised that Vasilovich had sustained it.  _He must really not like Facilier._

The detective cleared his throat, looking out at the cameras. Elsa wondered if this was the most attention he'd ever gotten. "I don't know where he could've hidden the murder weapon, but it seemed to be a large carving knife, and there just so happened to be one missing from the cutlery set in the kitchen. Mr. Clements was there, covered in the victim's blood, and we know that he had means, motive and opportunity. It was an easy arrest."  _There are so many things I can't wait to ask him about that._

Facilier's teeth showed, his smile sending chills down Elsa's spine. Had she missed something? "After you arrested him, what did you find out about the suspect?'

She watched each syllable leave the detective's mouth. "The victim had a restraining order on him."

Both she and Albert stared at their client, their eyes widening in shock. His own narrowed in anger as he met the detective with a death glare. For a second she thought he was going to leap out of his seat and attack the man.

"I have that restraining order right here." Facilier withdrew a paper from the briefcase at his table and waved it in the air, showing it to the room. "I've brought copies. I'd like to introduce Exhibit B at this time."

Elsa rose. "This is the first we're hearing of this. It wasn't submitted to us during discovery."

Facilier's jaw dropped as he placed his hand to his chest. "I would never. Could it have gotten lost?" He squinted, staring between the two of them. "Maybe an associate didn't think it was important? I know how things can be at those big law firms."

"Mr. Facilier, if I find that you withheld this information, I will dismiss this case with prejudice."

He continued his offended look as he stared at Judge Vasilovich. "I wouldn't dream of it, your honor. I hold you in absolutely the highest esteem, I would never do anything to impugn the integrity of your courtroom. Like I said, it must've gotten lost. I'm certain it was somewhere in all the boxes I gave them."

"Ms. Agnarrsen, Mr. Gaston, I'll give you a day to go over the document. It looks to be pretty straight forward. Discuss it with your client and we'll meet back here at ten o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Isn't this exciting," Facilier crooned.  _The bastard kept it as some shocking twist. He thinks this is a goddamn game. A man's life is on the line!_

"Yes, your honor," she replied, glaring daggers at the district attorney. She was not looking forward to another loss. Facilier had controlled this entire game. She wouldn't take it lying down. He didn't know who he was messing with.


	32. Anna - I Could Really Love Her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On Wednesday, I had carpal tunnel surgery for my right hand. Please wish me luck with recovery. I have rough drafts for the next twenty chapters ready, and I promise the Elsanna is well underway by then, so no matter how slow my recovery is, I should be able to keep my updates on time. Please forgive me if my editing is a little sloppy for a few weeks, pain killers and one hand should complicate that.

Anna sat between Moana and Olaf. Her girlfriend's arm was wrapped around her shoulders and her son was leaning against her. It was the second day of what had been the first time she'd seen her girlfriend in over a month. As much as the long distance aspect was killing her, she could barely believe just how comfortable things were when Moana was there. It was like they were a family. It terrified her.

It felt like they'd known each other for such a short time, especially considering that the only two other people she'd ever dated she'd known for years. Even more so when she considered that the other woman she was in love with was someone she had literally known her entire life, but she had promised herself that she wouldn't think about that.

She tried to focus on the present. Moana smelled amazing.  _How? She's using my shampoo. She should smell like me._   _Do I smell amazing?_  What if she was moving too fast? It had been four months, but they'd only had three real dates – five if the next day counted as a separate date when she stayed over. She was falling for Moana, and she was starting to believe that Moana was falling for her too. She knew herself well enough to know that certain words would have to be said soon, maybe even talk of taking things to the next level-which would certainly make the mortgage easier for her-but she wasn't sure that she was ready for it. She tried to pretend that no part of that doubt was her holding out hope that she could be with Elsa. Moana deserved better than that. She was perfect for her.

Soft lips met her cheek and Moana beamed at her. "I think the kid's asleep, we should get him to bed. Then maybe we could do the same."

Anna met her eyes and ignored the lascivious look. "You know you'll just want to watch more Star Trek then, anyway."

She huffed. "Yeah, like one episode, then I'd have far more interesting plans for you." Her eyes trailed down Anna's body. "You'd make a great green space babe. Though that's more TOS."

Both her girlfriend and her son wanted to play Star Trek with her. That was weird. Anna planted a quick kiss on Moana's temple. "Fine, I'll put him to bed. Though I'm not sure I'm up for another episode, I'm already starting to fall asleep."

Moana looked heart broken, her lower lip protruded as sad brown eyes met Anna's. "But I leave tomorrow."

"All right, you can choose, one episode, or your other plans. Though we don't have green body paint or the time for it."

She chewed on her protruding lip. This was clearly a difficult decision. "All right, I'll get the chocolate syrup."

Anna was certainly not going to say no to chocolate. She did her best to shake off her blush as she carried Olaf to his bedroom, nestled his plush Charmander in his arms, and tucked him in. The Millenium Falcon sat next to his bed, he'd been showing it off to Moana the day before. She had seemed about as thrilled as he was, and taught him a few tricks for flying it.  _He really might follow in her footsteps. She'd be a good mom for him. What am I so scared of? It's not just Elsa, right? It's deeper than that, I'm terrified that I'm just repeating my same old cycle all over again._

A quiet knock came from behind her and she turned to see Moana, off-brand syrup in hand. "You ready for bed? If you wanted to do that weird mom thing and watch him sleep I can wait. I'm patient."

"I know you are." Anna smiled at her.  _She waits for me all the time. She's so good to me, she's exactly what I need._ "Let's get to bed."

She was happy to be reminded that Moana tasted even better than she smelled.

* * *

Snow White had become an exemplary student since their talk. She had already had some of the best grades in the class, but now she led discussions, helped keep everyone in order, and made Anna's life easier. Once Anna had found out that she had the last period of the day off, she had, with some hesitation, offered her a position as TA. She hadn't expected her to take it. Who wouldn't want to just go home early? Instead Snow did. It had taken a bit of finagling with the school, since it was already a good way into the quarter, but they eventually gave in, giving her half credit for it, and she had made it so that Anna had no grading to do on this particular day, and barely any cleaning. It was almost concerning seeing just how much her behavior toward her had changed over the last month.

"I just finished with the tests. Did you want to look over them?" She handed her a stack of papers. It had been multiple choice, so the grading hadn't been complicated, but it was a welcome relief to have less to deal with.

"It's fine. I trust you." She was of course going to glance at them briefly at home, making a mistake was easy, but she felt that Snow needed to hear it, and even more so she needed to admit that it was true. Clearly at least one of them was a pod person.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that."

Anna rubbed her neck, sitting on the edge of her desk, her bag slung over her shoulder. The day wasn't even over and she was already ready to leave. "I never thought I'd say it." She needed to ask her something. She'd been her TA for a week now, and she'd been resisting asking it the entire time, and Anna was terrible at not saying what she wanted to say. "Snow?"

No doubt sensing that a serious conversation was incoming, she sat herself in Anna's chair before replying, "Yes, Ms. Agnarssen?"

"Why did you take the teacher's assistant job? I mean wouldn't you rather be home right now?"

"Well, I figured it was the only way I could get you to write me a recommendation letter after how I treated you, and I was sort of hoping to major in English at PSU." She smirked up at Anna, the seat making her a good foot and a half shorter than her.

"Is that the only reason? I mean I'm sure Esmeralda would have written you a letter, and you wouldn't need to declare your major before you applied." The reason sounded more and more like an excuse the more Anna thought about it.

She chewed on her lip. "I suppose you're expecting some horrifying backstory? Like that I'm avoiding being at home because of how awful my parents are and that the real reason I was acting out in class was to lash out at someone else?"

After considering her response for a moment, Anna had to nod. "Yeah, kind of."

She shrugged. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but my parents are pretty great. Probably a little too relaxed, but I suppose with my GPA they didn't really feel they needed to crack down at all. They're understanding, supportive parents. It's just that I don't head straight home. I always waited at school anyway until my boyfriend got out of class, so I figured at least this way I'd have something to do. Plus I steal from your candy drawer."

 _I knew it!_  "That's fine. I leave candy there for you too," she lied. "All right." She squinted at her student, trying to make sure that the story really was true. "I just wanted to make sure that everything was all right."

"Everything's great. Really, you don't need to worry. I'm just a bored bitch with nothing better to do."

Anna supposed she'd just have to accept that. The bell rang. "Well I'll just have to add some more candy to the drawer. Even if you are a rotten little thief, you've earned it. You're doing a great job."

Grinning at her, Snow stood up and casually made her way to the door. "I'll see you on Monday. Have a good night."

"You too, Snow." Anna locked the door after them, and they went their separate ways. She headed to pick up Olaf, but decided she'd wait in the parking lot for a bit. There was no reason to drag him away from playing with Lilo when she was waiting for Nani anyway. She needed to talk to her. She needed to hear from someone who wasn't just going to tell her to follow her heart, someone who knew her better than she knew herself. She needed to know if she was making a mistake with Moana.

A light flurry of snow piled on her windshield as she waited. When Nani finally arrived, just before closing, Anna met her at the door. Nani gave her an exhausted hug and opened the door for them. Mrs. Fitzherbert seemed less than pleased to see the two of them so late, but they were out of her hair in a matter of seconds, long before she could try to chastise them or strike up any conversation. "Running late?" Nani asked as they made their way to their cars.

"No, I was just hoping to talk to you. Want to come over? I'm sure Lilo and Olaf have something to do at my place. Are you still playing Kirby?" She added, turning to her son.

He shook his head. "No, we finished it."

"I want to fly the Millenium Falcon," Lilo chimed in.

Nani shrugged. "Sure. I could just use some coffee."

Soon, the coffee was boiling and the children were in the backyard, making the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs. Nani was slumped back in her chair, her eyes locked on the coffee pot. It had clearly been a very long day. "You all right?" Anna asked. They didn't have to start with talking about her stuff. In fact, she may even prefer not doing so. Her friend clearly needed her. The craziness with Moana and Elsa could wait, there wasn't even really anything to talk about anyway.

Her eyes continued to watch the coffee percolate. "Lots of dogs, lots of traffic, and I've been up since four. Nothing really happened, it was just a lot of mail and a very long day."

Anna nodded sagely, as if she had any idea what being a postal worker may entail. Nani was still in uniform, and Anna was almost surprised to see that it didn't include shorts. She supposed she must have only ever seen her in uniform in the summer or she just hadn't paid attention to what she was wearing before.  _Is this because I figured out I was gay? I don't think I was checking out Nani's legs._  She paused to glance at them again, the uniform clung tightly to her well-muscled calves.  _I could hardly blame me if I was though._  "I'm sorry. That sounds rough." She felt like she should say more, but just general exhaustion was a difficult thing to comfort.

Fortunately, the coffee pot saved her as it finally finished its noble work. She poured them both a cup and Nani held it to her like she'd been given a priceless artifact, leaching warmth and energy from it, breathing in the fumes. "Thank you. Could I get some cream?" She was starting to look a bit more human.

Anna grabbed her some half and half from the fridge and sat down opposite her. She studied her own cup before pouring some into it. She wasn't sure why she'd been so eager to talk about this with Nani. It wasn't like anything had happened. Now she only found herself desperate to avoid explaining why she'd been so desperate to see her in the first place.  _Nani had been a therapist for a few weeks, maybe she'll understand?_

"How was Moana?" Nani asked suddenly. "She texted me when she got in, but I never managed to see her. I swear you're hogging my second best friend now. I've barely seen her since you two got together."

That certainly gave her a good segue into the topic she wanted to discuss, she just had to manage to draw up the courage to take it. "She's good," she replied dully. "We spent the whole time watching Star Trek with Olaf. She seems to really have a thing for chocolate syrup, has she talked to you about that? Wait, no, that's weird, she wouldn't, right? Would she?" She had somehow managed to find an even more awkward topic.

"She had not, no." Nani's expression made it abundantly clear that she knew exactly what Anna was talking about. "I'm sure the two of you had a lot of fun with that though."

Anna's face colored. This wasn't what she'd meant to discuss at all. "I mean it definitely makes her extra delicious," she offered, a playful grin doing its best to hide her embarrassment.

"Was that what you wanted to talk to me about? Be careful, okay? That's a yeast infection waiting to happen."

That did it. Anna would do anything to escape this topic, even tell Nani the truth. "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about."

Nani's eyes flew open, any sleep gone from them. She leaned across the table, peering concernedly into Anna's eyes. "You need to go to the doctor? Want me to buy you some probiotics?"

Anna waved her hands in front of her, shaking her head rapidly, her pony tail whipping her cheek when she finally stopped. "No, that's not what I meant. I don't have a yeast infection. I mean I wanted to talk about Moana. Not just her." She groaned, sinking low in her seat, as if trying to hide behind her coffee cup. "Am I moving too fast? I really like her, I think she could be really good for me, but I don't want to be repeating the same mistakes I made with Kristoff and Esmeralda. I mean, I knew them both for a lot longer first, but I still ended up rushing things. I haven't even known Moana that long. Maybe I'm forcing something just because I don't want to deal with –" she sunk even lower, "other things."

"Anna sit up, I can't take you seriously like that."

She slowly made her way back to a sitting position, Nani staring straight into her eyes. "I just feel ridiculous."

"What is there to feel ridiculous about?" She blew on her coffee and took a hesitant sip. "You two have taken things really slowly, and the only reason things are moving forward now is because of how comfortable you are with each other. I think the long distance bit probably helped with that, it made you two have to get to know each other more rather than being able to just jump into bed. You've probably been texting each other every day for four months now."

Anna nodded. "We have. I still feel like I don't know her well enough for how into her I am though. I'm really starting to fall for her."

She was surprised by the smile spreading across Nani's tired features. "That's amazing, Anna. You're you, you don't fall for people, you normally skip that and go straight to fallen for them. You're seriously telling me that you haven't already confessed your undying love for her?"

Anna wasn't sure how to take that. "Well, yeah," she offered nervously.

"That's such a huge change. You were begging Esmeralda to be your girlfriend after your first date. I'm sure you'd have confessed your love and asked her to move in by your fifth date at the latest. You're not like that anymore, I can hardly believe it. You're really taking things slowly. At least for you. It's more of a normal pace for most people."

"I've only had two relationships before, that's not enough to act like there was some pattern," she grumbled.

Nani smirked knowingly. "So then there's no pattern for you to worry about repeating."

Anna blinked. "Using my own words against me is cheating."

"I know it is. You say that a lot."

"That's still using my own words against me."

"Then I guess I'm cheating."

Anna took a sip of the still too hot coffee. It didn't burn that much. "What if that's not the reason?" she finally asked, her tone hesitant, frightened, maybe even terrified. She didn't want to bring this thought into the real world, but she needed Nani to tell her that she was wrong. She needed to know that she was just being ridiculous.

Nani's expression changed from mocking back to concerned as she sipped her coffee, her eyes never leaving Anna. "What else could it be? I think you've really matured Anna. I'm proud of you."

 _How did I end up with two older sisters/mothers?_  "Thanks. I hope you're right. I'm just scared that –" she trailed off, fighting back a tear that seemed to come from nowhere. She was so scared that it was true, she couldn't bring herself to say it. She needed to face it, but saying it would only make it feel so much more real.

"Anna? What do you think it could be?"

"What if it's because I'm in love with someone else? What if it's because I can't move past Elsa. I know it can't happen, I know it shouldn't happen, she's my sister, she has Tiana, she doesn't feel the same. I know all of that, but I just can't stop thinking about her."

Nani's expression soured, she looked even worse than she had when she'd collapsed in that chair. She delayed her reaction by taking a far larger sip of her coffee than could have been necessary or comfortable, followed by another gulp. She set the cup down, but her eyes remained on it.  _She can't even bring herself to look at me._

"Nani?"  _I thought she understood. I know she didn't exactly approve, but she hadn't reacted quite this badly before._

"Please don't hurt Moana," she finally said, her voice weak and timid. "I don't think you're right, but if you keep letting yourself fall down that rabbit hole, then you will hurt her."

She couldn't hold the tear back anymore. It made a steady march down her cheek and she didn't bother wiping it away. "I wouldn't. I won't. I don't think. She means so much to me. She's absolutely amazing. I'm trying to just focus on her, I know she deserves it, I don't know what's wrong with me!" she found herself screaming. She hated what Elsa was doing to her.  _What I'm doing to myself._ She let out a wordless shout. "This isn't fair. I met the perfect girl for me, and I can't stop thinking about my own sister."

Nani's concern finally overwhelmed whatever repulsion had taken over her face, and she rested her hand on Anna's shoulder. "Are you thinking of her when you're with her? Or just when you're scared and freaking out over everything?"

She had to consider that. She honestly wasn't sure, but looking back on all of her interactions with her girlfriend, she recalled just how Moana seemed to push away any thoughts of Elsa. She knew how much she meant to her. She could manage to get over her unrequited love. She could be good for Moana, just like Moana was good for her. "When I'm with her, she all but banishes any thought of Elsa from my mind. I think I could really love her. If it keeps going this way, I will. I just need to know that I'm not deluding myself by going ahead with this. Can I ever be fair to her when I still love Elsa?"

Nani moved her chair closer to Anna and pulled her into her arms. Anna couldn't help but weep against Nani, pulling tight against her, as her tears stained the blue uniform shirt. "I don't want to hurt Moana. She's the best girlfriend – hell, the best partner I've ever had. She deserves better than I can give her."

Nani stroked her hair, whispering soothing sounds. "She deserves exactly what you two can give each other. She's crazy about you, she's barely shut up about you since you met. Do you want me to show you the texts? Should I tell you about the late night calls with her freaking out about how into you she is? I think she's already fallen for you. I know you can be amazing for her, you already have been. You just need to stop letting fear hold you back. And let me see my friend occasionally rather than locking her in your place the entire time she's in Portland."

She could do that. "Even if I'm not over Elsa? You still think I can be healthy for her?" She looked up into Nani's blurry face.

She was pretty sure Nani nodded. "What would Esmeralda say? You can love more than one person. It doesn't mean you have to act on it, which she certainly wouldn't say, but it's not an either/or thing. You can keep having those," she hesitated, clearly still uncomfortable with the subject, "feelings for Elsa, and still be true to Moana. You don't need to worry that you're betraying her, or that Elsa is what's making things feel different with Moana. You really have matured, I'm sure of it. Just stop overthinking everything and be happy with your awesome girlfriend."

She wiped her tears on her sleeve. Nani was right. She always was. "Okay. Thank you, Nani." "Any time."

Anna pulled back, feeling a little foolish crying in her friend's arms when her life was so amazing.  _Ignoring the mortgage I just had to pay._ She drained the rest of her coffee as she tried to compose herself, and was pleased to see that Nani was both letting her and doing the same.

Not even allowing her a minute's peace, the door to the backyard flew open and Lilo roared.

"Please say that's not Wookie for 'I crashed the Millenium Falcon,'" Anna cried.

Nani looked down at her little sister. "What did you do?"

Olaf ran in behind her, the drone in one piece in his hands. "Chewy is just saying that we're hungry. We'll trade you half the contents of our cargo hold for dinner."

"How many dilythium crystals do you think it takes to equal a burger?" Anna asked Nani.

She shrugged. "Probably like three?"

Lilo growled and Olaf stomped his foot. "That's Star Trek, Mama! We have spice and food for the rebels."

Anna looked to Nani again, receiving another shrug. "All right, I guess half of that can get you Burgerville."

"Can I have a shake?"

Lilo roared in agreement.

"Two thirds of the cargo," Anna said.  _I wonder what Star Wars food and spices would sell for?_

"Three quarters!"

Anna and Nani tried not to laugh. She could see how hard Nani was clenching her jaw shut. "Honey, three quarters is more."

"Oh. Two thirds then!"

"All right, Captain Solo, you have yourself a deal." She held out her hand to him, still not willing to get up from the chair.

He shuffled the Millenium Falcon to his left hand and shook hers. "Let's get back to the ship. Chewy is hungry, and he does not play nice when he's hungry."

Lilo howled, her eyes never leaving Anna's. It was actually a little intimidating. "Hey, don't rip my arms off. Let's get going."

"I'll buy," Nani added.

"But he traded the goods to me."

"I have altered the deal, pray I do not alter it further." Nani's glare was as intimidating as Lilo's and Anna promptly gave in. She was really starting to feel bad letting everyone else pay for everything.  _Even if I do only have fifty bucks left in my account._   _Maybe I should look into taking something out of my retirement fund? I'm not sure how it works, but I know it's possible. Mr. Fredrickson said he did it._

They all piled into Nani's car, and made their way to the burger place. Anna tried to just order fries, but Nani insisted that she actually have a real meal. Everyone else had burgers, but she got a chicken sandwich and a chocolate shake. She picked shyly at her fries, trying as hard as she could to appreciate Nani's generosity rather than hating herself for requiring it.  _At least the shake's amazing._

Lilo roared and ripped into her burger, savagely tearing off a piece of it and dropping the rest into the basket as she dramatically chewed on it. Olaf ate like a normal person, taking human sized bites of his plain burger and fries. Anna was actually a little curious to see how Chewbaca drank milkshakes.

She was a little disappointed when instead of shoving her face into the cup, she just sipped the straw of her mocha perk shake, growling occasionally.  _Why does Nani let her have coffee ice cream all that time? That can't be good._

Nani sipped her triple berry shake and ignored the monster on the other side of the table. "Do you need any more food?" she asked Anna.

With a laugh, Anna shook her head. "No, I'm good. You already bought way too much. It's delicious though. I love their waffle fries."

She stole one. That was fair. "Yeah, they are pretty amazing."

Lilo stole one as well, growling at Anna as if daring her to take it back. Olaf just ate his own fries.

By the time Nani and Anna had finished their meals, Lilo and Olaf had been done for a while, and were barely managing to stay in their seats. Nani had had to make Lilo sit back down three times, rather than run around the packed fast food place. "I will get you a leash if you don't behave," she growled.  _Like little sister, like big sister._

The sulky Wookie sat back down and whispered to Olaf. "She wants to know if we can go yet," he explained.

"Yeah, I need to head home. I'm exhausted," Nani said. "Lilo, if you promise not to blow up the house, you can play video games until ten."

She whispered to Olaf. "Chewie accepts your deal."

"Okay." Nani was clearly far too tired to deal with Lilo. Anna had a chance to repay her for all she'd been doing for her of late.

"I'll take her tonight," she offered. "You know Lilo will just blow up the place anyway if you're asleep. I'm not even tired yet."  _Because it's 5:30, and I'm not 70 years old._ "You go get some sleep."  
Nani wrapped her arms around her, almost crushing her with the force of the hug. "Thank you. Do you need anything? Groceries? Pizza money?"

Anna tried to recall if she had enough food to provide breakfast to the crazed Wookie. "I'll be fine. I've got cereal."

"All right. Just let me know if you need anything, okay? You're a life saver."

Nani dropped them back off at Anna's house and promptly drove off. Lilo tackled Anna, knocking her onto the grass before the front door. A deafening Wookie howl sprung from her mouth.

Olaf pushed her off of his mother. "Chewie, behave."

She growled back.

Anna patted her head as she pulled herself to her feet and knocked the dirt from her jeans. "What was that about?" She looked down at the two foot tall girl.  _How did she even manage to knock me over?_

She whispered to Olaf again. "She said she won't do it again."

Anna opened the door and led them inside before replying, "That's not what I asked. Lilo, what was that about?"

"Nani hates me!" she shouted back, suddenly human again.

Anna took a step forward to hug her, but Lilo only ran to the living room.

"See, you don't even try to claim otherwise!"

"She doesn't hate you." Anna followed her to the living room, but let Lilo have her distance. "She just had a really long day."

"Then why's she always so happy to get rid of me! She wishes I was gone!"

"No she doesn't."

Lilo grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and screamed into it, before dropping it into her lap. "Yes she does."

"She doesn't."

"Does."  
Anna was not in the mood for getting into a Bugs Bunny skit. "She tells me all the time how much she cares about you. You're the most important thing in the world to her. I know she doesn't always act like it, but she loves you."

She punched the pillow repeatedly then buried her face in the couch. A full minute later, a muffled, "I don't believe you," came from the general area of her face.

Anna wasn't sure if she should try calling Nani.  _Maybe if she won't believe me, she'll believe her?_ "Should I call her and ask?"

"She'll just lie."

"Lilo." Anna had no idea where to go from there. What could she possibly say that would make any difference to the girl?

Olaf sat next to his friend and patted her back, but she didn't stir from her faceplant.

"Lilo?"  _I guess I could try telling her that._

"What?" It was loud enough that it was clear, even through the couch.

"Has she ever told you about how she reacted when she first got custody of you?"

She shook her head.

"All she could think about was how scared she was. She hadn't been ready for a kid, and she'd only seen you when you were first born. You were just a tiny, terrifying stranger to her."

"You're proving my point."  _I thought she'd like being a tiny terrifying thing._

"Then she met you. She could have given you up for adoption, she could've done a lot of things, but she never tried to. She'd joke about it, but as soon as you became her responsibility, you were all she thought about."

Lilo's eye was barely visible when she turned the slightest bit to watch Anna.

"She'd lost her parents too, just like you had, but she didn't let it get to her. She was a wreck until she saw you, but I think you might've saved her, because you became her number one priority. She researched what part of town had the best school, took some free parenting classes, and found a new job where it'd be easier to pick you up from school. It was all for you. Kristoff and I would babysit some. Olaf seemed to love the company. But other than that, she was raising you all alone. I guess it's how we really became family, but that's not the point."

"Then what is?" She sat up, tears rimming her eyes as she stared at the floor.

"She loves you. The happiest I've ever seen her was when you said your first word. Do you remember what it was?'

Lilo only shook her head.

"You called her mommy."

She stared at her, watery eyes widening. "I what?"

"She was so excited. She invited us over just to watch you say it, and you did it again. And again. It was the only word you knew for a long while. I know you just think of her as your big sister now, but to her, you're her daughter, and she will never want you to be anything else or anywhere else. She just works an exhausting job and isn't always great at hiding the strain from it."

"Oh." Lilo looked to Olaf for confirmation. "Is this true?'

He shrugged. "Was I there, Mama?"

"You were actually."

"Oh, then I guess I must've heard it too."

Lilo rolled her eyes. "That still doesn't prove anything."

"Then fine. Just take her not giving you up for adoption as proof."

"I will!"

Anna smirked. "Good."

Her eyes narrowed, but she flung herself from the couch and stormed to the door, letting out a roar as she waved for Olaf to follow. He hugged Anna.

"Go have fun exploring the galaxy."

"Okay." Olaf grabbed the Millenium Falcon and headed after his friend. Anna just hoped that she'd managed to get through to Lilo. She'd tell Nani about it in the morning.


	33. Elsa - I Am Over It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My recovery is going surprisingly well. I still don't have full use of it, but it looks likely, and I'm going to try to have the other one done by the end of the year. Thank you for the best wishes.

Gaston approached the witness stand. Elsa glared at him. _I hope he knows what he’s doing. He should’ve just let me do this._ His teeth shone as he leaned against the stand, his eyes even with the sitting detective’s. “So, about that restraint order.” The cop’s eyes locked on Albert’s. “You weren’t being entirely truthful with us yesterday, were you?” _All right, that’s actually pretty good. He’ll deny it, but impugning the witness’s integrity is probably the best way to go._

“I was completely honest. She had one one on him.” His eyes narrowed. It wasn’t a great look for him. The jury would likely agree.

“So it’s your testimony that telling only part of the truth is being completely honest? I don’t think your math holds up.”

“Objection.” Facilier straightened his tie.

Judge Vasilovich glowered at Gaston. “Did you have a question, Mr. Gaston, or were you going to insist on badgering the witness.”

Albert’s smile only grew. “Well, Mr. Rourke, since I can see why you’d want to avoid answering that question, were you aware that the restraining order had been rescinded?”

“We didn’t feel that was relevant.”

“So you were aware. You just neglected to mention this yesterday.”

The detective’s face grew red, his voice rising. “Now you see here! He was there the entire time, no one else came, and she had a restraining order on him. It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together. The fact that he’d convinced her to get rid of the order just made it all the more clear. It means that it was premeditated.”

His smile never faltering, Gaston shifted, looking toward the jury. “So it’s your belief that my client never left the house?”

Detective Rourke scoffed. “It’s why he was still there.”

That shit eating grin somehow managed to grow even larger. “Then why wasn’t the murder weapon there? You searched the whole house, at least I’d assume you did, since you’re clearly a brilliant detective. So, where’s the murder weapon? He couldn’t have hidden it anywhere else if he didn’t leave.”

“Mr. Gaston, give the witness a chance to answer,” Vasilovich groaned.

“Well, maybe he did leave.”

A look of mock shock finally shoved away that grin. “So you’re not sure if he could’ve left? Or if anyone else could have left before he came?”

“Well witnesses only put him there.”

“But not leaving? When did he arrive?”

“According to the next door neighbor, sometime around five.”

“And the time of death?” His voice was slower now, as if he was walking the witness through this very complicated affair.

“Between five and five-thirty.”

With a sagely nod, Gaston asked, “And when was the call placed?”  
“Five-thirty-four.”

He rubbed his chin with his fingers. “So in half an hour, he killed her, left and hid the murder weapon, then returned, with no blood trail, and made it so far away that your searches brought up nothing?”

Rourke closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. _I think he actually wants to kill Gaston. I can hardly blame him sometimes._ “That does seem unlikely.”

“Thank you. Judge Vasilovich, I request that you dismiss this case, with prejudice.”

Rolling his eyes, Vasilovich glared down at Gaston. “Denied. Are you finished with the witness?”

“I am. No further questions.” He took his seat, teeth flashing at Elsa.

Facilier’s snake-like eyes almost glowed as he examined the witness like a particularly delicious mouse left in his cage. “Was there any evidence of anyone else having been there?”

“No.”

“No further questions.”

Gaston’s smile fell back on their mutual prey. “But you can’t be certain, can you? You might even say, there’s a reasonable doubt?”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

“But you’re not sure.”

Rourke sighed. “No. We can’t be sure.”

“No further questions.” Gaston took a sip of water, watching the judge.

“Mr. Rourke, you’re dismissed.” Vasilovich turned his gaze on the prosecution. “Did you have another witness?”

“The prosecution rests.” Facilier bared his teeth, his gaze locked on Elsa’s. She shuddered. _I don’t know why he gets under my skin like that. God, I want to crush him._

It was their turn now. They had a decent array of witnesses. They likely wouldn’t bother calling the clerk of courts they’d arranged, since the document had already been effectively removed from the equation. They didn’t even need the expert witness they’d arranged for the medical examiner. Facilier must’ve thought better of it. It was time to undo the damage to Eric’s character that the prosecution had so successfully managed. It was most of what their case relied upon at this point. “The prosecution calls Vanessa Delray to the stand,” she announced.

A few minutes later, the dark haired woman was sworn in, and Elsa rose, adjusting the sleeves of her dark grey dress, as she made her way to the stand. “So, Ms. Delray, could you describe your relationship to the defendant?”

“He's my boyfriend.” Her smile was surprisingly sincere. When Elsa had interviewed her before, she'd seemed to be somehow fake, and Elsa had been rather concerned for just how well she could actually help their case.

“Still?” _Wow, no objection. Here I was, ready to make Facilier seem petty. I'd have objected._

“Of course. I know that my man is no killer.”

“What did you know of Eric's activities the night of the murder?” _An alibi isn't exactly possible when he was there when the cops showed up, but her being aware of their friendship makes everything seem a lot more on the up-and-up._

“He was at Ariel's. They'd been becoming good friends. I was all for it. I just wish I'd known that he would've been dragged into this.” Her gaze falls down to her knees, where her hands tightly gripped her black skirt. “She was always such a trouble maker. It only made sense that it would come back and bite her someday.”

“Could you elaborate?”

“It's why they broke up in the first place. She just flocked to all these men. I mean she was sleeping with her professor, who knows who else she might have been with. Probably someone violent.”

“Do you have any reason to think this?” _I can't have it looking like we set this up. She can establish reasonable doubt with this line, but it's so easy to make it look like we're just making some imaginary bogeyman to be our scapegoat._

She pursed her lips, staring back up at Elsa. “I didn't know her that well, but the few times that I hung out with both of them, well, two of those times she did leave with different men. Neither of them seemed that dangerous, but who knows what might be going through their heads, or how many other people she may have been with.”

“Are you aware of any who knew where she lived?”

She considered this. She didn't need to, they'd gone over it several times, but it was effective. Elsa was genuinely shocked by how well Vanessa was working as a witness. “There was the one time, that we were picking her up for dinner, and we saw a man pulling out of her driveway. She took a while to get dressed. We missed our reservation, that's how I remember it.”

_There we go. I shouldn't keep pushing, especially with how well she’s selling it, we don't want to look like we're speaking ill of the victim._ “Thank you very much, Ms. Delray. No further questions at this time.” Elsa made her way back to her seat, glaring daggers at Facilier. She could see the gears turning in that demented brain of his. She was dreading what he might manage to conjure up from its depths.

A soft smile on his lips, Facilier stalked toward his prey. “Ms. Delray, is it your insinuation that one of these gentleman callers could have been the actual murderer?”

She met his gaze, her expression cool, almost serene. “I don't think I could say either way, Mr. Facilier. I know that Eric would never be capable of such a thing. If so many men were walking through her doors, it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility does it?”

_Fuck, I didn't even coach her to say that._ His sneer only grew. “Of course. So they killed her, and managed to disappear mere seconds before your boyfriend showed up, before the body was even cool, and he didn't notice a thing?”

She faltered, her gaze falling to Elsa in a silent plea for help. “It's not impossible.”

“No one else seems to have heard anything about these suitors.”

“I'm sure they just didn't want to speak ill of the dead.”

“Of course. That seems far more likely than that you would just say anything to cover for your boyfriend. Perhaps you even know that he's the killer. If that's the case, you may be perjuring yourself. I think I should let you know, that if you reverse your testimony now, it prevents the possibility of being pursued for perjury, and as District Attorney, I promise, if I find any evidence of it, I will pursue charges.” A gold tooth shone as he offered her an amiable smile.

_I can't object, it would make it look like he's right. She's been doing amazingly so far, she just needs to stick the landing._ Ms. Delray's smile returned, and she met Mr. Facilier's. “Go right ahead if you think I'm lying. Everything I've said is the complete truth.”

_Is he going to press her on that?_ Facilier inclined his head to the young woman. “Of course. I just wanted to make sure. No further questions, your honor.”

_Wow. He's been so in control so far. I wasn't expecting that. After his threat didn't work, I guess he just didn't want to make himself look like he was bullying her. He already seems like enough of a dick that alienating the jury is probably his biggest concern in trial. Still, it's our biggest win of the trial, and I will happily take it._ “No re-direct.” Vasilovich dismissed Vanessa. “At this time, the defense would like to call Phillip Reynard to the stand.”

A young brown haired man took the stand, fiddling with his tie the entire time he took his oath, only to wiggle in his chair, glancing all around the room once he was sworn in. He'd been the one who'd held it together so well when they were going through his testimony, of course he'd actually act like this in court.

With a quick wink to Elsa, Albert made his way to the stand. He adjusted the young man's tie, and gave him the look only a disapproving father can manage. Elsa had never seen it before. “This is a court of law, not some game show, stop gawking and look presentable.”

Somehow, it had the desired effect. Phillip seemed to calm down, though his eyes never left Gaston's. “Yes, sir.”

Elsa watched the jury, barely bothering to pay attention to her co-counsel. A few of the older men and women were nodding approvingly, watching Gaston with an admiration with which Elsa wasn't quite comfortable. The four younger jurors seemed disinterested, with one actually rolling her eyes. The gamble had paid off. Gaining eight and losing four was certainly not going to sink them. “How long have you known the defendant?”

Phillip's eyes widened.

“How long have you known Eric?”

“Oh.” He breathed out a sigh of relief, still staring intently at Gaston. “Since we were kids. He's a great guy, watched over me, always stood up for people, he's not what the media is trying to paint him as. Of course, those damn liars are always trying to ruin an honest man like him. Bunch of cocksuckers.”

Albert closed his eyes for just a moment to steady himself, and plastered a small smile on his lips. “Try to keep it relevant to the question, the press aren't the ones on trial.”

“Well they should be.”

Elsa could practically feel the camera behind her zooming in on this loon. She could actually hear Facilier snickering a few feet away. “If you want to help your friend manage to avoid these trumped up charges, then I suggest you focus on the matter at hand.”

_Is he not going to ask for permission to lead the witness? There's no way that letting him rave is going to help us._ “Yes, sir.”

“How would you describe Eric?”

He grit his teeth, sucking in air. “He's the best man I've ever ever known.”

Gaston nodded approvingly. “Did you know the women he dated?”

The feral look turned into an eager grin. “Yeah, of course. I knew everyone in his life. We were like this.” He held up two fingers together. “Vanessa is great, she's a real classy lady, but the broad he was with before. I know it's not nice to talk badly about the dead, so I won't, but the things I could say.”

Albert knew he was walking on thin ice. Their witness hadn't been this big of an asshole before. Relying on his testimony could only make them look worse, but he was one of the only cornerstones of their defense. They didn't have a lot going for them. Fortunately, all of the evidence against them was circumstantial. She could see Gaston running the numbers. Was it worth it to ask about Ariel when his testimony would sound so hollow? He must've decided that it wasn't, because he took a step back, and almost perfectly concealing the pain in his voice, announced, “No further questions.”

Facilier was going to have a field day with him.

That wicked, bestial grin showed as he approached Mr. Reynard. “My dear man,” he cooed, “What was it about Ariel that made you feel so viscerally opposed to her?”

Elsa blinked. _What the hell is he doing? If we'd asked, it would've made us look bad, but how is he going to turn it on us when he's the one pushing?_ “Well I don't like to talk, but she had a bit of a reputation. He never said, but I'm pretty sure Eric left her for cheating, and I know she slept around a lot after.” _That still actually helps us._

Elsa turned to watch Eric. The muscles behind his face were twitching. She could almost believe that he didn't like hearing Ariel talked about like this. _Does he actually care about her?_

“Right. Of course. Ms. Delray had said the same thing. It almost sounds like you two were told to say that.” _How? We didn't let him say it. There's no way Facilier is making this bad of a mistake. No matter how cocky he is, he wouldn't screw himself over like that, he's too good._

Phillip snorted derisively. “You don't need to tell me to say that, I'd have happily told the whole world. She was a skank. It's a good thing she's dead.”

_Fuck._ Elsa somehow managed to resist smashing her head into the table before her, instead taking forceful gulps of water to try to calm herself. _Was that his plan?_ _No. There's no way he could've predicted that response._

Facilier's grin disappeared, replaced by a grave expression. “Ms. Neptuna was murdered just a month ago. You don't think it's a bit uncouth to talk about her like that?”

Phillip's smile faltered. “That's why I didn't want to say anything.”

He gave a quick nod. “Of course. You and Eric would never talk about women that way. Right?”

“Objection!” Elsa called.

“Overruled.” Vasilovich's empathetic eyes turned to Elsa. “You opened the door on this with your previous witness, and this one has already started it. I'll instruct the witness to answer the question.”

Phillip glanced up at the judge before responding, “Well, I mean. We just say the truth.”

Eric was grinding his teeth next to her.

“What would you say Eric thinks of women?” _Maybe he is that cocky. That question is so open, that even with his foot this far down his throat, Phillip should still be able to reply reasonably._

“He loves them.” _Attaboy._ Elsa shuddered. She hated that she was praising the one man creepier than her current best friend.

“Did he love Ariel?” _He really is just ad libbing this whole thing, isn't he?_

Phillip hesitated, looking toward his lawyers for guidance. They could object. It wouldn't be unreasonable to claim that he couldn't know that, but if he just gave the right answer, then it would undo a good deal of the damage he'd just done. “Objection,” Gaston called. Elsa nodded, that was probably the best call. There was no way he would give a good answer.

The judge rolled his head from side to side as he considered this. They didn't need to explain the objection, he knew what he was doing. “I'll sustain it.” _Is he actually going easy on us after all that?_

With a shrug, Facilier slithered back to his seat. Now they just had to decide if a redirect was worth it, or if it was time to move on to Eric. _Phillip's done enough damage already. Let's just move on._ She shook her head at Gaston. He didn't bother to say anything, their silence was clear.

“The witness is dismissed,” Vasilovich announced. “The defense may call their next witness. We may actually be able to finish the trial today.”

It was never great hearing the judge imply that he was bored of the case. Elsa called Mr. Clements to the stand. “In your own words, could you tell us what happened on the day of January 20th?”

He took in a deep breath, fingers running through his black hair. He looked almost respectable in that navy blue suit. “I knew Ariel had been having a rough time lately. She hadn't specified anything, but she'd been messaging me a lot, and just seemed like she really needed some comfort.”

“The defense would like to introduce exhibit B at this time.” Elsa held up a stack of papers that contained the recent text log between the accused and the victim. “Would you read the texts from before you went over to her place?” She hated to interrupt his story, it was far more compelling as a whole, but this evidence was necessary.

“Of course. She said –“

“Could you include the timestamp.”

“Right. At 4:35, she said 'It happened again. Could you come over? My boyfriend is out of town and I just really need to not feel alone.' Two minutes later, I replied 'Sure, I'll be right over.' I actually had to finish up in the bathroom, but you don't just say that to a girl. At 4:52, I said 'I'm a few minutes away. Long light.' At 4:53, she replied 'Cool. See you soon.”

“That would match your showing up around five, as the detective established. What happened after you got there?”

The paper crinkled as his hand clenched around it. “I stopped to grab beer. If I hadn't – It was only a couple minutes. I know I was there just a little after five, and she was still warm, if I'd just hurried, I could've saved her.” He wiped at his eyes with his balled up first, the paper still crushed within it.

“Take your time.” _Fuck yes. You can never count on witnesses to cry when they need to, most people are either so wooden on the stand or so anxious that their behavior barely matches what they're talking about._

“I found her on the ground. I tried to perform CPR, they taught it to us on the swim team. I don't know how long I did it for. I couldn't think, I couldn't do anything but keep trying to save her. You're not supposed to stop until you're relieved, but no one was coming.” He shuddered, blinking away tears. “I did everything I could. When she wasn't responding, I –“ he hesitated, letting out another shaky breath, “I called the police, I know I should've done it before I started, but I just needed to save her. She was my best friend.”

Elsa waited to ask her next question, letting his words and behavior sink in. “It must've been hard for you to hear the way Phillip was talking about her.”

He nodded before Facilier's objection rang through the room. _Good. I didn't want to let him go into too much detail on Phillip's testimony, it would've pulled focus away from the more important part. Just needed to get that out there._

“Thank you. No further questions.”

Facilier took his turn, a strangely approving smile on his face as his and Elsa's paths crossed. _Ew. I think I've earned his respect._ “So let me get this straight. You're saying it took you half an hour from the time you got there and found a dead woman covered in blood before you called the police?

“I was trying to save her.” His glare met Facilier's unshakable smile.

“Of course. You're a hero. That's why she had a restraining order against you.”

“We had our issues, but we'd moved past that.”

“Or so you let her believe.”

“Objection,” Albert called as he refilled his water.

Facilier gave him a cheerful nod of his head. “Of course, retracted. Now, Mr. Clements, would you explain precisely why she'd put that restraining order on you?”

“We'd had a bad fight.”

“You hit her, isn't that right?”

Eric's eyes narrowed. He looked like he very badly wanted to hit the prosecutor. It was far from radiating innocence. “Objection.” She knew it was a longshot, but it would at least remove some of the impact. “Inflammatory.”

Judge Vasilovich stared down at her, shaking his head slowly. “Mr. Clements has the right to not answer the question, but Mr. Facilier still had the right to ask it.”

She ground her teeth as she stared back. This was not great for their case. It didn't prove that he was a killer by a long shot, but it had only been alluded to previously. It was certainly going to prejudice the jury, they just had to do their best to minimize the damage.

“I plead the fifth,” he offered. “Is that how I do it?”

Vasilovich nodded. “I will remind the jury that pleading the fifth does not incriminate the defendant.” _Yeah. If only that were true._

“No further questions.”

Elsa considered trying for a redirect, but she didn't want to give Facilier a chance to drive his point home any further. “The defense rests.”

“The prosecution rests,” Facilier called.

Vasilovich checked his watch. It was getting late and he wanted to finish the trial. “We’ll take a five minute recess, then it’s time for your closing arguments.”

A few people filed out. By the time they’d made it anywhere more private to discuss their plan, they’d have to head back in, so Elsa and Gaston stayed seated. Eric glanced between them as if looking for permission to leave. “We’re almost done,” Elsa explained.

“Okay.” His tone was nervous. He might well be facing prison soon. She could hardly blame him for being concerned.

“Don’t worry. We’ve got this.” Taking a sip of her water, she turned to Albert. “You ready?”

“You know I am.”

Once court resumed, and everyone was sitting again, Facilier rose, resting his hands on his hips and pushing back his purple jacket. _Look at this asshole, thinking he's Atticus Finch._ “I know the defense is just doing their job defending this man. He's entitled to it, as we all are. So I must beg you, please don't hold it against my dear, incredibly beautiful colleagues, as they go to bat to exonerate this monster. They know as clearly as you and I do, that he's the killer, they just have to do their best to obfuscate that fact. Don't hold it against them, but don't let them get away with it either. He got to the house at five o'clock, he was covered in her blood, he waited over half an hour to call the police, and she died somewhere between five and five-thirty. Do they really expect us to believe that one of these mysterious paramours, who we have no evidence that they even exist, was just waiting there, with no one noticing them coming or going, and killed her mere seconds before Mr. Clement arrived, then ran off, with the murder weapon, and absconded into the early evening? Does that really seem more likely than the ex-boyfriend she had had a restraining order against killing her and then hiding the evidence before he called the police?” His gaze passed over the jury, his expression as dour as he could make it. Several of them actually shake their heads. “I don't think so either.” He made his way back to his seat, crossing his legs at the ankle as he leaned back, admiring Albert as he rose.

_I guess no one can resist pinstripes._ It was difficult to imagine someone being attracted to Gaston, but she was somewhat impaired in that area. _They'd be cute together. They're both awful._

Gaston gesticulated as he talked, his hands never stopping, doing his best to differentiate his appeal from his opponent's. “I suppose that the prosecution has a point. It is quite a big request for you to believe that someone else was there. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing, since the police didn't look into any other affairs she may have been having. They found a man at the scene, a man who tried to save her life, who called the police in the first place, and decided that their work was done. You know what's an even bigger request? Expecting you to believe that in the half hour he was there, he somehow managed to hide the murder weapon so well, that an entire team of officers bent on proving his guilt couldn't find it. I sure can't believe that. You can question my clients motivation, you can hate him for how he ended things with Ms. Neptunus, but she clearly forgave him, she thought he was better than that, and the prosecution has done nothing to prove otherwise. The only evidence that they have is that he was there. Of course he was there, he called the police. They spent the last month investigating him nonstop, and they found absolutely nothing that wasn't volunteered when they first arrived.” He gestured toward their client. “This is a man grieving for a woman he cared deeply for. He's no monster. My opposing counsel loves his theatrics, and he'd like to let you think that we're the ones scraping together the bare bones of a case, but even if that were true, he has even less. The prosecution has offered you nothing. That's not just reasonable doubt, they had over a month and couldn't offer a scrap of evidence that wasn't circumstantial. There's nothing that he provided that should convince anyone that Mr. Clements, that Eric, is a murderer. Don't let him trick you into thinking otherwise.” He made his way back to his seat, receiving a wink from Facilier. He visibly shuddered as he sat down. Elsa did her best not to laugh.

As they waited for the jury's verdict, Eric quivered in his chair, his fingers tapping out a random rhythm on the table, as his eyes rapidly flew from Elsa to Albert and back again. “How long does this usually take?”

Both of his lawyers sighed simultaneously. _Why do they always ask that?_ “As long as it needs to,” Gaston explained.

“But I'm innocent. They saw that, right? It shouldn't take too long for them to decide that.”

Elsa stopped his hand from tapping. It was driving her insane. “They just want to make sure that they're doing their job.”

Gaston offered his patented grin. “A lot of times they just want to make it look like they're deliberating. They've probably already decided, but feel like they have to at least stay back there for a bit. I'm sure they know you're not guilty, you just have to wait for them to decide it's been long enough.”

_That isn't at all likely._ “Yeah, Mr. Gaston's right. Don't worry about it.”

It seemed to have the desired effect. He reclined, his fidgeting all but halted. “Okay.”

Surprisingly, it only took another five minutes. They were called back to the courtroom and Eric resumed his fidgeting as the jury filed in. Elsa supposed she couldn't blame him. His entire future was on the line.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, do you have your verdict?” Vasilovich asked.

“We do, your honor,” the foreman replied. A severe looking woman with a tight braid, she was almost the perfect image of a jury foreman. “We find the defendant, Eric Clements –” _They always pause there for effect. It's so ridiculous._ ”Not guilty.”

Eric's hug knocked the air out of her. “I can't believe it,” he breathed. “Thank you so much.” Turning to Albert, he held out his hand. “Thank you too. You weren't lying, you really are the best.”

“We both are.” He smiled down at Elsa as he took the young man's hand. “We're an unbeatable team.”

_It had been pretty fun._ “Go treat that girl of yours to a night out,” she suggested. “I don't know if we could've won without her.”

“I will. Thank you again.” He ran. He was free.

As Elsa and Gaston grabbed their briefcases and turned to leave, they found Facilier blocking the way. “It was a great game,” he offered. “I can't wait for next time. I haven't had this much fun in years.”

Elsa managed a smile. “I can't say I've had to face off against anyone as good as you in a long while.” _Other than Anastasia, it's been years. I was growing stagnant._ “I'll make sure to kick your ass again next time.”

Albert clapped him on the shoulder. “I'd been dying to have this chance. You live up to your reputation. If you ever get tired of prosecution, there's an opening for you at our firm.”

“I have a few openings for you as well. Give me a call if you're ever interested.” He handed Gaston his card and blew them a kiss as he sauntered out.

Watching the realization slowly dawn on her friend was priceless. His jaw dropped open as he stared at the card, his eyes going wide. “Wait, did he –”

“You should call him. It's been so long since you had anyone to share your life with.”

He tried to close his mouth, but couldn't manage to stop being so agape. A man had asked him out. Years of homophobia warred with his more recent effort at acceptance. Elsa wished she brought popcorn. “But I –”

“Give it a try. You never know.” _I've been told that enough times. Once by him actually, wow Asshole used to be such an asshole._

“I deserved that.”

Elsa was almost disappointed to see him collect himself. “So you're gonna call him?”

“Hell no. I am flattered though. It just took some getting used to. I'm managing.”

“You sure? He could be your celebrity boyfriend.”

He shook his head, leading them back to his car. “Nah, I'm holding out for Ben Affleck.”

His joviality had fully returned on the drive. He wouldn't stop going on about how great that trial had been. He almost sounded like he actually did have a crush on Facilier. _Come to think of it, he did pocket the card rather than throwing it out._

They'd agreed on drinks, and Elsa wasn't terribly excited to return to her empty home, so they ended up at Gaston's penthouse. The aged single barrel scotch was more than worth the change in environment. “This is amazing.”

“As amazing as we were in court.”

_I set him up for that._ “We were pretty great.”

“So, feeling better now? Realize that you're not cursed or rusty, you just had one shitty case?”

She'd actually managed to forget. “Huh. I hadn't thought of it at all. I guess I am over it.”

“Good.” He threw a lever on his chair, his legs flying up. “What are friends for?”

Elsa pondered that as she sipped at her drink. It was the best scotch she'd ever had, and her collection was hardly lacking. _I'm still getting used to even having friends, let alone him being one of them._ “I'll still kill you if you call me it again.”

He groaned, turning to face her. “I just had to test how he'd react. I'm sorry. I promise, it didn't mean anything.”

She drained the drink and poured another one, reclining in her own chair. “I know. It's just hard to stop thinking of you that way. You've changed, but I just keep waiting for you to come back around.”

He nodded and tossed back his own scotch. “I deserve that. I was an awful boss for a long time, you don't have to forgive me for it, but I really am trying to be better.”

“I know.” She swirled her drink, staring at the amber liquid. “Let's drop it. You've changed, I accept that, but we're celebrating. Let's drink.”

Between the entire bottle of scotch, Albert's homemade cupcakes, and their exhausting day in court, they both passed out around ten. Elsa seemed to be growing a bad habit of blacking out with Gaston when her girlfriend was out of town. It was just better to have Albert's strange company than the loneliness she'd find back home.


	34. Anna - It's Not That Unbelievable

Rolling over in bed, with a pillow over her head to block out the sun, Anna reached blindly toward her nightstand to find her phone. On the third attempt, she secured it and pulled it back to her, trying to check the time. She hit the unlock button. Nothing happened. She hit it again. And again. She tried holding it and it started to power up.

 _Oh fuck. My alarm didn't go off._ She tossed the pillow out of bed and ran down the stairs, trying to find anyplace that would actually say the time while her phone booted up. The oven and microwave both said that it was just past seven. _We overslept._

She ran upstairs to get Olaf, almost dragging him out of bed. “You have five minutes, get dressed. We have to go.”

“Mama?” he asked, rubbing at his eyes.

“My phone died.” She checked it again, it had managed to turn on but was already shutting itself down again. She'd charge it at work, it wasn't that important. She knew the way to both schools by heart, and she'd live without having her music for once. “My alarm didn't go off. Just get ready.”

She realized that she had to do the same. She didn't have time for makeup, but she couldn't exactly show up to school in her pajamas. She threw on a decent teal blouse and a dark brown skirt. It was the first outfit she found in her drawers, but she felt it worked pretty well together.

Olaf was almost finished getting dressed when she came back. She shoved his shirt over his head and carried him downstairs as he struggled into it. He put his shoes on and they were in the car, heading to his school. He wasn't late, and she would only be a few minutes late. It was 7:16, her class started at 7:30, if she sped the whole way without being stopped, she should be there by 7:40. Traffic wasn't too bad, it was doable.

Two miles from his school, the engine suddenly stopped. Anna stared down at the dash panel. She supposed she deserved this for ignoring the check engine light, but she hadn't wanted to ask Kristoff about it and couldn't afford to take it to a shop. _Shit._ She pulled over to the side of the road as someone behind her honked and immediately sped off.

She could feel Olaf's eyes on her from the back seat. She turned toward him, and gave the most forced smile she'd ever given. “It'll be okay, Olaf. We're just having a little car trouble.”

Her phone still wouldn't turn on, and without an engine she wasn't going to be able to charge it. _Fuck._ She slammed on the steering wheel, groaning, but immediately tried to compose herself when she realized Olaf was still watching. _What the hell am I going to do?_

“Don't worry. I just need to –” _Damn, I was hoping I'd have figured out how to finish that sentence by the time I got to the end of it. If I had my phone I could call for help, but right now I can't even do that._

“Does this mean we're skipping school?” A hopeful grin spread across his face.

 _It might._ “Of course not. Don't be all excited for that, you love school.”

He shrugged. “I guess.”

With a heavy sigh, she undid her seat belt and threw open her car door. The early March weather was brisk and unpleasant without a jacket, but she'd manage. She had to flag someone down, see if they could at least call AAA for her, or even better let her use their phone and call for help. “Stay right there, Olaf. I'll be just outside.” She grabbed the keys from the ignition and slammed her door, hoping to keep the warm air in the car for her son. Someone might stop for her if she just waited in the car, but she couldn't turn her hazard lights on, and she didn't have time, she needed to grab someone's attention.

She waved at every car that drove by, but other than a few slowing down to stare, no one actually stopped. Anna rubbed her upper arms. The blouse was thin and did little to fight the morning's chill. Her legs kept moving, trying to generate as much heat as she could. She wanted to get back in the car, but even that would barely make a difference. She wished she'd thought to grab a jacket for her and Olaf. She could already see him starting to shiver in the car, though she hoped she was just projecting onto him.

It was almost half an hour before someone finally stopped – a young hippie couple who looked suspiciously like Snow White's parents, but she wasn't sure enough to call them such. Their car smelled strongly of pot, and the peace signs decorating the vehicle completed the image. “Are you all right?” the woman asked.

Anna shivered. “Not really. My phone's dead and my car broke down and my son is late for school and I'm late for work, and please help.” _At least my pitiful rambliness comes in helpful for once._

She offered a warm smile. “Of course. Would you like to use my phone?”

Her eyes widened. “Yes, please. You're okay with that?”

With a chuckle, she replied, “It doesn't look like you can exactly run off with it. Besides, I'm sure you'd do the same for me.” She grabbed a phone from her purse and handed it to Anna. “We have a blanket in the back if you'd like it. It might help you keep warm while you wait.”

Anna didn't want to think about where that blanket may have been, but even if it was warm enough that they wouldn't freeze to death, being in the mid forties, she'd still rather their wait be as comfortable as it could be. “If you're sure it's no trouble.”

“Of course not. It's falling apart a bit, and I'm sure it kind of smells, but it's clean and warm.” She climbed out of the car and walked around to the trunk while Anna called AAA. She had been tempted to call one of her friends, she knew they'd be there for her, but they all would be at work, and she didn't want to make anyone else miss work as well. Besides, she couldn’t just abandon her car on the side of the road. “Here you go.” She handed her a soft knitted blanket, with quite a few holes in it. It was warm.

“Thank you so much. I'm on hold right now.”

“Take your time.”

Anna bit her lip. “Would it be okay if I called work too? I don't want to keep you here all day.”

The other door opened up and a skinny man walked out. “If you're on hold, just call them while you're waiting.” He handed Anna his own phone. These people were too nice. “Put the other phone on speaker and one of us can grab it if they finally pick up. We just don't want to leave you stuck out here.”

Her heart melting from the unexpected overflow of kindness after all of those people had driven right past her, Anna put the phone on speaker and set it on the hood of their car, taking the new phone with a smile she could barely contain. _Everyone is always saving me._

The principal’s office picked up on the second ring. “Jefferson High school, principal’s office,” Mrs. Roz, Mr. Bubble's secretary, answered.

“Hi. It's Anna Agnarrsen, probably still on their as Bjorgmann, my car broke down on the way to school, just calling in to let you know.”

There was a long pause before she answered, Anna was starting to wonder if she had a good enough signal. “It's eight o'clock.”

“My phone was dead. I couldn't call.”

“So your phone died and then your car died?”

 _It's not that unbelievable!_ “Yes.”

She groaned. “We don't have time to find a substitute, when will you be in?”

The hold music continued playing on the other phone. Both of her new friends watched her patiently. “I don't know, I'm waiting on AAA to get me a tow.”

“Hurry up. We'll have your classes merge with Mr. Fredricksen’s in the mean time.” _They don't match up that well, we're not doing the same books and most of them aren't even the same year._

“Okay, thank you.”

“Get here.” She hung up.

“That was fun.” She smiled to the waiting couple and called Olaf's school. _I'm so glad I actually know these numbers. Kristoff had insisted that we memorize the number for Olaf's school for just such an occasion. I hate it when he's right._ “Hello?” she asked. She thought she'd heard someone on the other line, but their voice had been faint.

“Oh, hi, sorry. This is Creston Elementary School, can you hear me now?”

“Yes. Hi, this is Anna Agnarrsen, Olaf's mom, my car broke down, I'm still trying to get him there, but he's going to be a little late. Oh, he's a kindergartener in Ms. Fitzherbert's class.”

Anna could hear her typing on the other end of the line. “I don't have an Olaf Agnarrsen in the records.”

 _Like you know how to spell it._ “Sorry, it's Olaf Bjorgman.”

“Ah, yes, here it is. Mrs. Bjorgman?”

 _How the hell does she know how to spell that?_ “Sure.” She didn't have the time or energy to fight it. “I'm sorry, I'll get him there as soon as I can.”

“Oh, it's quite all right. He's had perfect attendance, these things happen, just stay safe, I'll let his teacher know.”

“Thank you so much.”

They ended the call and she handed the phone back to its owner just as she heard the other call finally be picked up. Snatching it from the hood of the car, she heard, “Triple A, this is David, how can I help you?”

 _Finally._ She let out a sigh of relief. “Hi, I'm Anna –“ she stopped herself, she knew how she was still listed on the card, “Bjorgman, my car broke down on SE Powell and 82 nd. I'm right by the Carl's Jr.” _Great, they're going to think I was out looking for a hooker._

“Of course, Mrs. Bjorgman.” She winced. “We should be able to have a tow truck to you in a little under an hour. I've forwarded your information to them, they'll be on their way.”

“Oh thank god. Thank you so much.”

“Any time, Mrs. Bjorgman. Have a great day.”

Anna wrapped the blanket tight around her body and handed the woman back her phone. “Thank you so much.”

Her arms wrapped around Anna, pulling her into a somewhat pungeant embrace. “It was our pleasure. Do you want us to wait here with you?”

She shook her head. “No, I'm okay. Thank you again though.”

“All right. Well, I hope your day gets better.”

“Sorry this all happened,” her husband offered. “You have a great day, okay? Try not to worry, it's all taken care of now. You can keep the blanket.”

Anna nodded. They were right. She could relax now. Maybe. “You two have a good day too. You're my heroes.” It was only after they left, that Anna realized she'd never learned the identities of her rescuers. _I guess I'll find out if they're really her parents at the next PTA meeting._ She climbed into the back seat of her car and wrapped the blanket around Olaf and herself, pulling him close. “It'll just be a little longer.”

“Then I have to go to school?”

“Yes, Olaf.”

He grumbled. “Can we at least go get Carl's Jr?” He smiled up at her eagerly. “I didn't eat breakfast.”

She was having a hard time arguing against that. She still didn't want to leave her car here, but they'd be able to see it from inside the building, and could run out if the tow truck arrived or anyone tried to start ripping pieces off of it. “All right,” she agreed, shrugging off the blanket and reaching for her purse from the front seat. It wasn't there.

 _Right. I was in such a hurry I forgot to grab it._ She looked through the arm rest and glove compartment while Olaf watched her in confusion. She managed to scrounge up about six bucks in change and two ones. It wasn't much, but she could at least make sure her son didn't starve. _Though this does mean I don't have my driver's license or AAA card, so that's going to take some explaining._ “Come on.”

She took him by the hand and bought him an order of French toast sticks and milk, along with coffee and a small side of hash browns for herself. She started to freak out when she realized she was seventeen cents short, but she'd missed a quarter when she was counting and just barely had enough. She thanked the guy behind the counter and moved to the side, waiting for their food, while Olaf continued to stare up at her.

“Are we poor?”

Her jaw dropped. She wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. “Not really.” They weren't, they were still ostensibly middle class, even if that wasn't providing terribly well anymore. They had a house, a car – kind of. Plenty of people were far worse off. “It's just a bad day.”

“Oh.” He stared down at the floor. “I have some money in my piggy bank if you need it?”

She managed not to cry. _My son thinks I need him to bail me out. Some mother I am._ “That's okay, honey. That's your money, you can do what you want with it.”

“Well I want to give it to you.” He beamed up at her, the gap in his smile from his recent missing tooth showing clear as day.

She just shook her head. _I have the best kid._ She managed not to add 'Much better than Lilo.' “It's okay. I just left my purse at home. I'm fine.” _Mostly._

They had time to finish their food, make it back to their car, and sit under the blanket for a little while, before the tow truck finally arrived. It was surprisingly no hassle, and she didn't even have to show her ID. That was a relief. Unfortunately, once they made it to the shop, she realized that she didn't have a way home. “Can I charge my phone?” she asked.

The mechanic shrugged.

She had at least brought the charger. She hadn't been that forgetful this morning. She would be able to arrange for someone to take them to Olaf's school and then her school, and it would only cost a small fortune. That reminded her of the other pressing issue. “Any idea how much this will be?”

He handed her an estimate and she swallowed. _Fuck._ “Can I pay when I pick it up?” Her voice shook as she asked the question. There was no way she could manage to get her hands on that much money in time. _Great, I just had to blow all my money on food and electricity, like that's important or something._

He shrugged again.

They waited for her phone to charge enough to arrange for the ride. As soon as it could power on again she did so, charging it to one of the credit cards she’d left at home. The car would be there in ten minutes. Twelve minutes later, they piled into the car and made their way to what little remained of their school days.

 

 

 

 

Before Anna could make it to the exit, Principal Bubbles stopped her. He was a large, intimidating man, and she was not keen on having to deal with this when Nani was going to be waiting outside for her. “Can I help you?” she asked, as warmly as she could manage.

His sneer was unmoved. “Come to my office.”

She managed to refrain from showing her dismay. “Of course.” He led the way and she typed out a quick message to Nani that she would be late.

“Have a seat,” he folded his hands over each other, resting them on the massive desk as he sat behind it.

With a nervous sigh, Anna did as she was told. She felt like she'd just been called to the principal's office. It was amusing, and she almost laughed at it, but managed to almost completely stop herself.

“You've been late a lot recently, today was certainly not an improvement on that.”

 _Oh shit. I'm being fired._ “Sir, I'm sorry, it won't happen again.”

He narrowed his eyes, glaring down at her.

She managed not to cry.

“See that it doesn't. If you're late one more time, this conversation won't be as easy going.”

It wasn't until she made it to the parking lot that Anna realized she couldn't have been fired. _Right. Tenure is a thing. He was just trying to intimidate me. Right? I'm still in the same school district, I am right? I know what I'm talking about._ She took a few deep breaths, her eyes closed, and her hand over her heart. She'd really thought she was going to lose her job.

Nani honked at her. “Get in already!”

With another shaky breath, she joined her friend in the car. Olaf and Lilo were already in the back.

“Principal being a dick?”

Anna nodded.

“I'm sorry.” Nani patted her shoulder and pulled on the gearshift, taking them away from the school that seemed to only ever bring Anna pain. “Wanna grab an early dinner? Sounds like you could use it.”

She considered that. What she really wanted to do was go home, grab an entire bottle of wine, and take a scaldingly hot bath, but she supposed that children occasionally needed to be provided with food. “Yeah, all right.”

It was happy hour at The Observatory, and Nani was both craving garlic fries and paying, so that was where they ended up. Anna's favorite pizza place was only a couple blocks away, and she was the one that had had a rough day, but she didn't have the energy to put up a fight for it. _Maybe Nani had a rough day too?_

“You doing okay?” Anna asked.

Nani shrugged, stuffing some fries in her mouth. “Work is work. Lilo is a tiny bottle of nitroglicerin, nothing's any worse than usual.”

“That's good.”

Nani sighed and grabbed another handful of fries. Lilo and Olaf helped themselves to the oregano fry bread.

“It's spicy,” Olaf grumbled, before grabbing another slice. Anna had pulled pork sliders, and it was making her miss her girlfriend. She'd sent her a few texts about the horrors of her morning commute, and Moana had done her best to cheer her up throughout the day, but it just wasn't the same as having her there.

“Did they say how long your car's going to be in the shop for?” Nani asked.

“A billion years!” Lilo insisted.

Anna shook her head. She wanted to bitch about how much it was going to cost her, but she knew that Nani would be inclined to help, and she couldn't put her friend out anymore than she already had. _I make more than her, just because I'm terrible with money doesn't mean she should always be coming to my rescue. She's a single mom too._ “Probably a week.”

“How're you going to get to work in the mean time?”

She shrugged.

Nani bit her lip, trying to come up with a solution. “I can't really help out, I'll already be at work unless you want me to drop you there at like 5:30. Maybe you could ask Esmeralda?”  
That was about the best solution Anna had come up with as well. She'd been hoping for something better. They were managing to be friends, and it was surprisingly nice, but riding to work with her ex every morning just felt weird. “Yeah, you're right.” Before she could talk herself out of it, she sent a quick explanatory and pleading message to Esmeralda.

Before she even finished her slider she'd already received an “Of course I will. Text me your address and I'll be there at 7:00.” That drew a chuckle. She couldn't believe Esmeralda had never learned her address. They were barely even a couple when they split up.

“Good news?” Nani asked, already finishing the last of her fries.

“Yeah. She'll take me.”

“Interesting word choice.”

“Shut up.”

“That's rude,” Olaf insisted.

Lilo looked between the two women. “Why is it interesting? I don't understand. Explain it to me!”

Nani patted her head and swiped a piece of fry bread. “Well I'm glad that's settled.”

“I wanna know too,” Olaf said.

As scary as it all was, Anna was relieve. More than that, she was happy. She had friends she could rely on. Even on her worst day, there were so many people willing to help her out. Even those hippies she may have never met before. The realization steeled her. She could do it, no matter how badly she didn't want to. She was going to ask Elsa for help with the car.

 

 

 

 

“Hey, Anna.”

Her heart absolutely did not skip a beat. She had a girlfriend, damn it, and she was not head over heels in love with her older sister. _Maybe just a little._ “Hey, Elsa.”

“What's up?” She let out a small groan, and Anna could imagine her reclining on the couch. She made sure to add clothes to the image after a moment.

She hesitated. _Maybe I should picture her naked_ _after all_ _, isn't that how you get over stage fright?_ Taking a deep breath, Anna began, “Basically everything went wrong, and now my car needs repairs, and I can't afford it, and I know I shouldn't ask, and you don't have to, and I understand if you can't, but do you think there's maybe, possibly, any way you could loan me the money to have my car fixed? I really need it.” She gasped, her nails digging into the cushion of the couch beneath her. That had been even more terrifying than she'd thought it was going to be.

“I'm not loaning you money.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Let me finish. It's a gift. How much do you need? Two thousand enough? Three? I don't know how much car repairs are. Well, I'm sure that you need money for other stuff too.” Elsa laughed. “Wow. You're a single mother and I never stopped to wonder how you're managing to get by on a teacher's salary. I'll send three, make sure you can afford your mortgage. I can't believe I didn't even think to check before. I'm just so used to not worrying about money.”

Anna wanted to hate her for her financial ambivalence. She couldn't imagine not worrying about money. Instead, she found herself all but swooning. _Maybe she really does feel the same way._ She was her knight in shining armor, swooping in to save her from every trouble in the world. “Thank you.”

“Any time. I love you, Anna, I'm always here to help. Besides, my house and car are both paid off and I have plenty in savings, I'm sure you need it a lot more than I do.”

There may have been more after that, Anna wouldn't have known, all she could focus on was the way Elsa had said 'I love you.' _It's just normal sister stuff, right? I'm just reading too much into it because she's literally saving my life. Right? That's all?_ “I love you too!”  
With a chuckle, she heard another groan followed by a yawn. “I wanted to get to bed. I'll transfer the money to you before I do. You still have the same bank account, right?”

Anna nodded, then realized that Elsa was not physically there looking at her and added, “Yes.” _It's a good thing she's not here, I'm not sure I'd be able to contain myself._

“All right. It'll probably take a few days, but I'm sending it now. You have a good night, Anna.”

“You too.” Elsa hung up, and Anna clutched the phone to her chest. She thought she was finally getting over this crush. Instead, it seemed to have only grown worse. She was so mind-numbingly, painfully, all encompassingly, ridiculously in love with her big sister.


	35. Elsa - When Did I become a Hugger?

Elsa rolled out of bed to find it empty. She was used to that, but it took a few moments to realize that it was connected to the smell of breakfast wafting up the stairs. Tiana was still there. She took a quick shower and made her way downstairs in a bathrobe. Her girlfriend was just finishing up breakfast when she took her seat.

“You slept in,” Tiana mused, setting a bowl of grits in front of her as Elsa tried to stifle a yawn.

“It's like 8:30.”

“Wow, I didn't realize it was that late, you have gotten lax while I've been gone.”

Elsa swirled her spoon through the grits. She'd missed her so incredibly much. The previous night they'd barely left the bedroom. “Then I guess you should be around here more. Without you, who's gonna whip me into shape?”

“Oh, I didn't know you were into that. I don't even know where you could get a whip.”

That woke her up. She waved her hands before her, “No no no. I'm good. No whip.”

“Aww, why not?”

Her glare was promptly rewarded by Tiana sticking her tongue out at her. Elsa could think of a few better places for it. “I missed you.”

“I know. You told me a bunch of times last night.”

Elsa shoved some grits in her mouth before she ended up seeming even mushier than her food.

“I missed you too.” Sitting next to her, with her own bowl of grits, Tiana wrapped her arm around Elsa's, leaning against her. “I'm sorry I've been gone so much of late. My business is just really taking off, I've had people begging me to open one in their city, even a few mayors trying to offer me incentives to do so.”

“Business is always good for you, Tiana. You're famous, rich, you don't have to jump at every opportunity.”

She pulled back, looking into Elsa's eyes, hurt clear on her face. “It wasn't always so good for me, and I don't see you avoiding work to spend more time with me.”

 _I cut back a little. You're just never here to notice._ “You're right, I'm sorry. I'm just still waking up.”

That earned her a quick peck on the cheek before Tiana dug into her food. Several minutes passed before either of them said anything more, but Tiana finally broke the silence. “Anastasia called me this morning when she was on the way to the gym.”

 _Does she even know that Anya and I aren't talking? Wait, are we actually talking? Christ, I can’t even keep it straight anymore._ “Oh.”

“She wanted us to meet her and Belle for dinner tonight, give a double date a second try. I told her we were free, there wasn't anything you'd wanted to do was there?”  
_So is she just pretending nothing happened? Didn't have the balls to talk to me herself?_ “I did have a few things I wanted to do to – with you.”

“Well then finish up breakfast and we have plenty of time before we meet them.”

Without a better excuse to get out of dinner, Elsa decided that Tiana's plan sounded rather wonderful. They both sped up a bit, not bothering to have a leisurely breakfast. As they'd said, they had missed each other, and it was so wonderful to be back in each other's arms.

They spent most of the day working up quite an appetite.

 

* * *

   


Anastasia pulled Tiana into a warm embrace. “It's been too long.” She turned to Elsa, her face all but going blank. She looked almost like she did when sitting at the other table in their last case. “It's good to see you too, Elsa.” She went in for the hug.

Elsa responded in kind, patting her back lightly. _So that's how we're playing it then? She's just going to ignore it._ “I haven't seen you since our last lunch.”

The flat affect faltered for a moment, but she offered Elsa a weak smile. “We'll have to do that again sometime.” _Yeah, cause having you storm out on me for a third time in less than a year sounds like so much fun. If I don’t go out of my way to walk on eggshells whenever we’re alone, then that’s what always happens. I barely managed to avoid pissing her off when I had some very good reason not to. Even if she’s forgiven me again, I don’t think it’ll take long for that to change._

“Of course.”

Belle wiggles her fingers at Elsa in a little wave from their table. They all go to join her, Anya seated next to her, Elsa across from her, and Tiana to Elsa's side. “I saw you on the news the other day. I think that might be why we're all here.” She grinned playfully at Anya. _So Anya saw me? If I didn’t know better, I’d think she cares._ “I saw you on the news too, Tiana, I may have been watching it a bit too much of late. Anya always leaves it on, muted, at work.”

“She did that when we lived together too,” Elsa mused. “She stopped doing it at home?”

Belle nodded.

“It's not that weird,” Anya muttered.

“So, have you two been on the news?” Tiana asked.

Elsa's smile grew more wicked. She was enjoying the pained expression on Anya's face a little too much. Anya might not have had the same drive for fame and success that Elsa did, but that didn't make her seeing her rival achieve it while she languished in irrelevance any easier for her.

Gritting her teeth, Anastasia shook her head. “No, we haven't. Our cases don't tend to be quite as flashy as yours, Elsa.”  
“Well, I'm sure you'll get there eventually.”

Her eyes narrowed, but before she could reply, Elsa heard a thump under the table. She was pretty sure Belle had just kicked her partner’s shin. Anya glared at Belle, but collected herself, adjusting her tie to attempt to preserve her dignity. “Well I'm very happy for you. I know how much fame and fortune always meant to you.”

“Not the fortune, just the thrill and interesting cases that come with it.”

Anya tried to flag down a waiter. Elsa could hardly blame her, she also needed a drink. “I guess I just never understood. It was the one thing you cared about after all.”

That managed to demolish Elsa's grin. She knew that she deserved it. She'd put work before everyone else in her life. Before Anya, before Tiana, even before her little sister. Just like Tiana was still doing now.

Tiana decided to cut the tension. “I just got back from South Africa. It's the third continent I've opened a restaurant on. So far it had only been here and Europe. It was really nice being there. I have no idea if I had any relation to the culture there, though I suppose it would hardly be relevant anymore.” She broke away from the somber look on her face, forcing the excited smile back. “It was just incredible. Everyone responded so well to the food, I had a new menu that I'd been crafting special for it, and it went off without a hitch. Every single food critic in the city loved it.”

Elsa blinked at her, smiling at her partner's success. She hadn't actually been told that. They had been a bit preoccupied since she'd returned, but it seemed like a thing that would've come up. “I'm so proud of you, honey.”

Beaming back, Tiana replied, “Thank you. I'm hoping to open a place in South America or Asia soon. Australia could be fun, but there's less I want to see there.”

“That's amazing,” Belle replied.

Before Anastasia had time to offer her congratulation, their waiter finally showed up. Anya and Elsa both ordered a steak, with a bottle of red wine each that they supposed they'd be willing to share, while Belle ordered a chicken Caesar salad, and Tiana ordered salmon and calamari for the whole table. The waiter vanished without a word, but appeared back with their drinks in an instant.

Elsa felt much better with some wine in her. “Have you had any interesting cases lately?” Elsa asked, as an olive branch, to her on-again, off-again best friend.

Anya grumbled under her breath. “I take it Belle told you?”

Utterly perplexed, Elsa stared at Anastasia as Belle patted her arm.

“Not great. If it doesn't pick up, Dimitri is worried we'll have to take in our shingle.” _I'm almost sure that's not an expression._ “I thought you were making fun of me.”

The petulant, yet vulnerable expression on her face, like she'd been caught sneaking out of the house sent Elsa back a good sixteen years. She'd never noticed just how much her ex-girlfriend looked like her sister. It was a little unnerving. She shook her head trying to rid herself of that image. “I didn't know. I'm sorry, I thought you were doing really well.”

“We were. It's why we needed to hire Belle. I think it'll pick back up, Dimitri is exaggerating a bit, it's not actually that bad yet, but business has been drying up a bit.”

Belle squeezed her hand. “We have that meeting with that really big client on Monday. If it goes well it might turn it around. I can work for free for a little if you need me to.”

She shook her head. “No, honey. It's okay. You deserve to be paid for your time, same as anyone. We just need to do everything we can to nail that meeting.” Elsa had never seen Anya be quite as tender as she was today. She somewhat missed her competitive spirit, but it made her feel a bit less concerned about how she was treating Belle. _Maybe they actually can manage to mix business and pleasure. I still think hiring her was a terrible idea, but maybe I did overreact. I don't know._

“Well, what's the meeting about? Let me help.” Elsa was surprised to find the words leaving her mouth. She hadn't meant to say them. _I guess I'm forgiving her then._ _I just don't want her to lose her firm. I know it means the world to her._

Staring at her agape for a few seconds before she managed to close her mouth again, Anya finally replied, “You mean it?”

 _I'm not that big of a bitch._ “Yeah. I know how important your firm is to you, and I don't want Belle to lose her cushy new job getting paid to watch the news all day.”

Belle giggled.

“What can you tell me?”

Anya nodded, as if she'd made her decision. “You're gonna be pissed.”

“Why?” Elsa asked cautiously. That never exactly preceded good news.

“They're one of your clients. Not yours specifically, your firm.”

Elsa swallowed the bile building in her throat. She could manage to put friends before work for once. It wasn't like she was going to break privilege. “Then don't tell me the name, just tell me what they do. Let's keep it all hypothetical so I don't have to worry about a conflict.”

Anastasia's astonishment only grew. Her eyes widened, but she managed to keep her mouth closed. “All right. Wow. Well, they're a car manufacturer, a big one.”

That narrowed it down to only two, and as one of them was Elsa's client and Anya had said it wasn't them, it meant it was Robert Phillip's. He wasn't terrible, but at least they weren't close, and he wasn't likely to fire himself. “All right. So we just need to get a massive motor vehicle company to hire a tiny law firm rather than one that can provide them all of the services they would normally need. Easy enough. How'd you manage to get the appointment?”

“What, like it's hard?” The competitive spirit seemed to be coming back a bit. “Quite frankly, I kissed his ass like mad. Instead of being one big client among dozens, he'd be our biggest client, but then I've had experience with his kind before, and even actually worked with him personally on a case with –” she pursed her lips, stopping herself from saying Robert's name. “Back when I was at your firm. He liked me then, and I only impressed him more now. It got me a meeting, it hasn't closed the deal though.”  
Elsa chewed on her lip, this wasn't going to be an easy sale. “Well, he clearly already wants you. I'm sure he's just hesitant to make the change, but he wouldn't meet with you if he wasn't considering it.” _I am literally taking money out of Albert's and my pockets._

“I know. I just need to make sure this works.”

 _What can I say that won't break privilege?_ “Just show you know the business better. You know who their old lawyer was, you know his strengths and weaknesses, act like you have all of his strengths and none of his weaknesses. Then make it personal and woo him, a nice ribeye will win over just about anyone.” _This is treason. This is literally treason._

Sipping her wine, Anya mulled over Elsa's point. It wasn't anything she didn't know, but having it spelled out can make things so much clearer. “Promise you won't hold it against me?”

“I'll consider it.”

She nodded, draining her glass and promptly pouring another. “Well do try, because I am one hundred percent stealing that client.”

 _There's the woman I know and occasionally like._ “Well I'll be sure to steal one of your clients when you're back on your feet.”

Belle jumped in, unsure as to if they were playing or fighting at that point, “I won a case on my own last week. I know that doesn't say much, but I hadn't had many chances to not second chair or to even go to court instead of just doing research.”

Elsa felt partly to blame for that. “I'm proud of you. That's amazing.” She rose her wine glass in a toast. “To Belle's amazing success and many more victories in the future.” She really wanted to take back all the things she'd said about Belle before they became friends. If she'd just encouraged her more rather than relegating her to the books, then she'd have come into her own far earlier.

They all toasted to that.

Their food arrived and they took a moment to sample it. The appetizer came out with the meal, Tiana looked unreasonably displeased by this fact, but after taking a bite of the calamari she seemed mostly mollified. She also helped herself to a bite of everyone else's food. She always had to try everything. Elsa was not quite sure why she'd need a bite of both Anya’s and her food when they’d ordered the same thing.

Eventually, salad still on her fork, Belle broke the silence. “What was Anya like in law school? She tells me so little about it.”

“Oh, so it's back to embarrass Anya time?” Anya asked.

“That's my favorite time,” Elsa began. “Well, for starters, I know we've said it before, but it needs to be reiterated, she was very femme. Like I don't think she even owned pants – and I can say that because I own at least two pairs, I just never wear them. She had guys hitting on her constantly. It was hilarious.”

Anya sank into her chair, glowering at Elsa over her ribeye.

“I honestly didn't even know she was gay until over a year after I met her, and she was in every class with me. One day her phone wouldn't stop buzzing from some poor heartbroken girl, and I found out that your girlfriend was quite the womanizer.” She smirked at the increasing glare from her old friend. She had needed some payback. “Of course I tamed her. Though she's the one who asked me out.” _And I said yes, despite the fact that she looks like my sister. How the hell did I never notice that? Was I just willfully blind because I hadn't seen her so long or did I just miss her so much that I needed a substitute? Anastasia had claimed that I’d viewed her as a replacement Anna._ Elsa shoved that tangent aside. _What am I even talking about? Anya was just being a bitch._

“Please, you definitely asked me out.”

Belle waved them off. “As much as I'd love to see you two fight, I want to know about before then. You've both said some stuff about when you were dating. What was it like when you were friends?”

They exchanged glances. Anya's grimace was turning into a wry smile. This was a time that was far less awkward for both of them. Elsa spoke first. “Well we were never exactly friends. I think you've seen just how bad we are at that. We were rivals. She was competitive, smart, a great litigator, always second in her class.”

“I was not –”

“Should we go grab our transcripts? I know whose ass I was kicking every day. Especially in mock trial. That was a lot of fun.”

“Just because I had Peter as a witness,” she grumbled.

“A good lawyer would have been able to recover.”

There was another thump under the table and Anastasia glared daggers at her girlfriend, while still arguing with Elsa. “You wanna go again? I'm sure I can find a client who's been abused by one of the heartless corporations you represent.”

“Aren't you getting into the heartless corporation game?”

Gritting her teeth, Anya turned her glare back to Elsa.

“Hey, I'm game whenever you are. Find a case that's actually worth fighting, and I'm happy to beat you to a pulp just like last time.” Elsa was trying very hard not to notice how much she looked like an angry teenage Anna. It was ruining the fun just a little.

She folded her arms over her chest and jerked her head in the other direction as if she was looking around for a waiter. _Maybe she wants to order a glass of champagne to throw in my face?_ The side profile wasn't as bad, she didn't have Anna's chin. It was making Elsa feel far less unnerved. She wished that Anya would stay like that.

“I swear, Anya,” Tiana said, “How is it so difficult for you two to interact without a fight?'

“She started it.”

Tiana rolled her eyes. “Maybe you should just cut that tension and get a room already. Belle and I can watch. It'll be a fun date.”  
Her eyes widened and her arms dropped. “What?”

Belle snickered. “Can I at least join in?”

Tiana smirked, taking a sip of wine. “I'm not hearing a no.”

“No,” Elsa and Anya both replied at once, then glared at each other, as if offended that the other wouldn't want to sleep with them.

“How did you two last for five years?” Belle asked. “You can barely go a full conversation without trying to kill each other.”

“She was really good in bed,” Elsa explained.

Belle nodded. “Okay, yeah, I can see that. It's the main reason I stay with her.”

“Can we pick someone else to pick on?” Anya asked. Elsa was pretty sure that she knew Belle was joking, but she looked surprisingly hurt.

“Oh, do me!” Belle squealed.

 _Yeah, I always knew she'd say that to me._ Elsa dug into her steak, wanting to eat it before it grew cold. “I can't, you're too pitiful.”

She stuck her bottom lip out at her.

“I rest my case.”

Anya snickered. Elsa hadn't meant it as a pun, but Anastasia had always loved joking like that in college. “Belle, we're all very proud of you, and I'm lucky to be your employer.”

Sulking, she spat out, “You're no fun.”  
Tiana drained her glass and grabbed Elsa's bottle to pour another one. “Well, hell, I can think of a few things if you really want to be made fun of.”

“Affectionately?”

“Of course, I don't offer to be a voyeur with just anyone.” Elsa was starting to wonder how serious she'd been. “You dress like a teenage girl. I've heard you're getting a lot better in the courtroom, but I can't really say much there, but –“ she gestured toward Belle's bright yellow dress, “If you want people to start taking you more seriously as a lawyer, you need to dress the part.”

Elsa blinked at her partner. It had been both less and more cruel than she'd expected.

Belle looked down at her dress. “What's wrong with how I dress? Do you think I should start wearing suits like you two?”

Elsa tried to picture Belle in a suit. It didn't suit her. _I can not stop making puns._ Tiana's black jacket and slacks, and Anya's grey three-piece offered ample evidence of how sexy suits could look, but there was no way Belle could pull it off. “I like the dresses,” Elsa offered. They were a team now, they had to prove their superiority to the suit-wearers.

Tiana gestured to Elsa with her fork. “See, that's a much more professional dress. I'm sure it's cost her some business over wearing a suit and looking more lawyery, but every time I've seen you, you look like you'd be more at home at a prom than in a law office. Does she dress differently at work?”

Both Elsa and Anya shook their heads.

Belle's face sunk. “But I like my dresses.”

“Why don't you and Elsa go shopping sometime soon? Anya and I aren't femme enough for this, but Elsa could help find you the perfect dress to look a little more respectable. Maybe it'll help with that meeting on Monday.”

“Then we'd have to do it tomorrow.”

Elsa shrugged. “I'm free.”

Belle considered this. Elsa was surprised she didn't just jump for joy at the chance to spend more time with her. “All right, sure, let's do it.” She beamed up at Elsa, the unbridled joy finally coming forth.

 _That's more like it._ “All right. Say one o'clock?”  
She nodded.

“Make sure you have her home by eight,” Anya teased.

“Nah, I'm keeping her.”

“Finally,” Anya mouthed, prompting another thump under the table and a glare from Belle.

“Maybe I will just go home with them, then.”

“I'll have Motorino waiting for you.”

Elsa could never resist Motorino. “Fuck it, I'm coming home to you too then.”

“I should've expected that.”

Tiana shrugged. “I can come too if we're all doing dinner again tomorrow.”

Anya grumbled. “Yeah, fine. But Elsa, you're helping me get ready for this meeting.”

“What meeting? I have no idea what you're talking about, and I'm certainly not helping you steal a client from my firm.”

Anastasia offered a warm, surprisingly genuine smile. “Thanks.”

“It's no problem.”  
Belle snatched some calamari. “This is really good. So, sounds like we have a busy day tomorrow, I guess the orgy will have to wait.”

“It wouldn't really be an orgy,” Tiana countered.

Rolling her eyes, Anya finished her steak. “I mean you're not doing anything until one, there is time.”

Elsa looked between each of them. _Why does Tiana try to turn every gathering into some weird sex thing?_ “You all have fun. I'll have a nice big bed all to myself.”

Pouting, Tiana gave in. “Fine, I guess it can wait for tomorrow.”

They finished their food, with some more light ribbing of everyone but Belle, and agreed to meet tomorrow. Once safely in that big bed with her partner, Elsa glanced to her, setting the book she'd just picked up back on her nightstand. “Okay, I need to know, how serious are you when you pull that shit? I was pretty sure you were just joking with Anna, but I really don't know with Anya and Belle. It's just playing, right?”  
“Oh, I was dead serious both times.” Tiana laced her hands behind her head, sinking down into the bed.

Elsa's jaw dropped. “What?”  
“I figured you wouldn't let it happen, but I'd have been up for either.”

She wasn't sure how to process that. She just sat there, staring at her partner. “You wanted to have a threeway with my sister?”

“Who wouldn't?”  
Elsa shook her head and rolled over. She didn't have a response for all of that insanity. Her dreams gave her no clearer answer on how to deal with her girlfriend's strange desires, despite their absurdity.

 

* * *

  


“What about this one?”  Beaming widely, Belle held up a third dress.

“I think they’re all fine, but if you’re trying to look more professional, maybe don’t go for one that’s bright colors and covered in ribbons,” Elsa offered, grazing her thumb over the fabric. It would be amazingly comfortable for such a cheap dress, but it projected the same image Belle had always projected.

“I don’t get it.”

Elsa shrugged. “I think your dresses are fine. It was never anything I judged you on, and I judged you plenty.”

She blinked. “What did you judge me on?”   
Grinding her teeth, Elsa tried to decide if this was worth discussing. “Performance,” she finally muttered.

“Oh,” Her hand fell to her side, dragging the neon green dress on the floor. “I wasn’t that bad, was I?”

“Not at research.”

She looked like she was about to cry.

“Belle, you’ve really come into your own recently. I know I haven’t seen you in court yet, and I have been meaning to remedy that, but you have a new confidence I’ve never seen in you. I think Anya might actually be good for you. Who knew that was possible?”

“Promise you’ll come see soon?”

“I promise.”

That seemed to assuage her concerns and she replaced the dress, thumbing through the display in search of another one. Elsa had suggested they go to her preferred boutique, but Belle was rather adamant that she didn’t have the funds for it, so they ended up at the higher end of cheap chains. Elsa hadn’t bought clothes anyplace that didn’t pay their employees commission since she was in college.

“This one?”

“That one is actually a prom dress.”

“But it’s cute right?” She held it up under her chin, her teeth half-showing in an exuberant smile.

Elsa looked up and down the blue sequined dress. It was a bit gaudy. “It’s cute.”

“But not professional?”

She only shook her head.

Pouting, Belle replaced the dress. “What am I gonna do? I need to be perfect tomorrow, or else I might be out of the job.”

There were worse fates. “I’m sure I could manage to re-hire you.”

She turned to Elsa, pain clear in her eyes. “I’m not doing that to Anya. Please help me find something? I just need one professional dress, just enough to tip the scales in our favor tomorrow. Maybe we could go to your place and I could just return it after?”

Elsa sighed, she couldn’t believe she was saying this. “I’ll buy it.”

Belle blinked. “Huh?”

“Let’s go to Nora Gardner, we’ll find you something absolutely perfect that’ll knock the socks off Mr. Slade, without making him drool over you. He actually drools sometimes, it’s a little concerning.”

Belle quirked her head, her jaw dropping slightly. “You weren’t supposed to know who it was. Doesn’t this compromise you, like, a lot more?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Did you hear me say the client’s name?”

Her lips turn upward into a smile, and she wraps her arms around Elsa. “You didn’t say a thing.”

Elsa hugged her back. _When did I become a hugger? I was always more of a firm handshake kind of girl, took after my father._ “Let’s get going.”

Just a short while later, they left the shop with Belle holding a grey and black dress that went down to her knees, with short sleeves on her upper arms. It was cute, fashionable, and most importantly was a sight more demure and professional than anything she’d owned before. Elsa still thought it was unnecessary, but Belle had a lot more to prove to a client than she did, her record spoke for itself and she didn’t need to worry about how they viewed her dresses. She could show up in a clown suit and still win a case, she just wouldn’t, because that would look awful.

They made it to Anya’s townhouse just as she and Tiana were getting out of the car. For just a moment, Elsa was wondering if she could trust her girlfriend alone in a car with a redhead after their conversation the previous night, but she knew Tiana wouldn’t do anything without at least talking to her first. She reached into the backseat and pulled out three pizza boxes. It was a strange sight, pizza and Tiana were so anathema and yet she’d had it twice in as many months. The fact that they were spending time with two people that Elsa had, at various times, wanted nothing to do with only amplified the oddity. She was still holding a slight grudge over Anya freaking out and running off on her when she’d voiced a legitimate concern.

Belle draped her dress over her, swishing to and fro as she told the two women about their day. “You like it?”

“I love it,” Anya replied.

“Tiana?” She shimmied more, looking up at Tiana. “This works, right?” _She could absolutely talk her into that orgy if she tried. Assuming she hasn’t already._

“It’s a big improvement. I think it’ll go great for your meeting.”

Grinning, Belle all but skipped to the door. People always reacted like that when Tiana paid them the slightest compliment. _It’s like she’s a celebrity or something._

The four of them shared the Margherita, Amatriciana, and Stracciatella pizzas, and Belle even managed to get Tiana to try coke and wine. She vowed that her vengeance would be swift if anyone ever made her try it again, but she did at least try it. Belle cowered behind Elsa, who had to spend almost five minutes justifying to Anya that she was more likely to be able to fend off Tiana’s wrath. Anya only sulked for a few minutes before she stole the last slice of Margherita. It was a nice, relaxing evening, far better than the first time they all got together, and the conclusion to a surprisingly great weekend after a great week with a victory that made the front page of the papers. Things were looking up for Elsa Agnarrsen, Esq.


	36. Anna - I'm In Love With My Sister

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my betas, flyafar and Turwen for their help with this and every chapter from here on.   
> Recovery from my surgery is going well. There's still some slight pain, but that seems to be it. Enjoy your regularly scheduled gay.

Anna sat at her desk, fiddling with her phone as she half paid attention to the movie her class was watching. It was the last day of school before the summer, so she’d had them all bring in food to share and had pitched in with microwave popcorn of her own, and each class had voted on a movie to watch for their last two days in class. Her seventh period class was currently finishing up a soppy rom com that most of the boys had complained about, though half of them seemed rather into it at this point. Anna had seen it before, and rather enjoyed it, though recent changes in her life made her wish the guy was another girl.

Snow sat at the back of the class rejoicing in her second horde of food for the day. There were advantages to being a TA.

The bell rang just as the credits began to roll. Anna was a little proud of herself for that timing. It hadn’t worked out in any of the six previous classes. Everyone filed out, several people stopping to wave goodbye to her or give her a hug. She supposed it hadn’t been the worst year ever, there were a few students that had been okay, and the class discussions were certainly more interesting, it just still wasn’t what she’d always dreamed of.

Once everyone was gone, Snow sidled up to her. “Let’s sweep up all this mess.” Anna could still barely believe how much she’d changed in a few short months.

She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Your summer break has started, go have fun. I can clean up.”

Snow blinked, a smile slowly spreading across her face. She pulled Anna into a tight hug. “You’re a great teacher, Ms. Agnarrsen. I hope next year you have better students than me.”

With a laugh, Anna dismissed the young girl. She needed to clean this place up quickly if she wanted to pick up Olaf, and despite her requirement that they pick up after themselves, her classes had left the room a veritable wreck. She sighed and grabbed the broom from the corner, starting to work. She wasn’t going to just leave this to the janitors, they had enough to deal with without her actively making their jobs harder.

It only took about twenty minutes, and the room was as clean as the day she’d first started teaching in it. She stretched and left the broom by the door. A janitor had dropped it off for earlier, at her request, but their closets were locked and she figured that them only having to pick up a single broom wasn’t unreasonable.

Her Kia purred to life, it hadn’t had any issues since Elsa helped her out, and now it had the benefit of reminding her of the woman she loved. _A woman I love. Not the. A._ When she made it to the elementary school, she was surprised to find Kristoff there. She paused getting out of her car, seeing him leading both Olaf and Lilo away. For a second all of the worst possibilities ran through her head, before she realized it was Friday. _How am I not used to this yet?_ “Hey, sorry, I forgot the day.”

Olaf ran up and hugged her legs. “Hi, mama!”

Kristoff chuckled. “It’s okay. This is just, what, the third time it’s happened?”

“It’s just automatic! This is where I go after school.”

He patted her shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m glad Olaf has such a responsible mom.” They were still a long way from being friends, but, with time and effort, a good deal of cordiality had been restored. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too.” She sighed, stroking Olaf’s hair. “I forgot you were taking both of them this weekend.”

“I get Olaf all week.”

“You can have Lilo too, I’m sure.”

Lilo stuck out her tongue. “I already asked, Nani said that if I’m not back on Monday then she’ll –” she hesitated, like she was trying to spit out a particularly vulgar phrase, “Miss me.” She shuddered.

Anna giggled, squeezing Olaf tight before letting him go. “You have fun with your papa, okay?”

He nodded. “I will.”

“We’re going to have to pack as soon as you get back. You excited?”

“Yeah. I’ve never been to New York before.”

Kristoff looked pained, wincing slightly. He had never gone so long without Olaf. “You’re only going to be gone for a month, right?”

Nodding, Anna replied, “Yeah, of course. We’re not just going to abandon you. Besides, I know you’d chase us across the country.”

“We would too,” Lilo confirmed. Anna was not sure if she meant her and Kristoff or her and Nani. “You shall never escape me, Olaf!” Her cackle echoed off of the nearby cars.

“Oh.” Olaf turned back to his friend. “Then I’ll just have to defeat you first!” He held out his hand in an imitation of a swashbuckler’s pose, his left hand going behind his back.

“Good luck,” Anna bid all of them, climbing back into her car. The fight was Kristoff’s responsibility.

She made the drive to Giselle’s house. Later, they’d all be having dinner together, but there were a few things that she really desperately needed to talk to Giselle about before the trip and now seemed the perfect time.

Giselle opened the door a few minutes after the bell rang. Her face was flushed and she seemed short of breath. “Oh, hey Anna, I thought we weren’t meeting until six? It’s not six is it?” She glanced around for a clock.

“No, it’s just a little before four.”

“Oh.” She sighed, tilting her head slightly at Anna. “Then what’s up?”

“Can I come in?”

After a quick glance behind her, she turned back and nodded. “Of course.” Giselle moved aside to make way for Anna and led her to the living room where they both took a seat on the couch. “What’s up?” Her legs crossed at the knee, her finger lightly tapping on the couch.

Anna couldn’t think of any way to even begin to describe this that didn’t make her sound completely insane. “I’m seeing Elsa in like two weeks.”

“Yeah. Excited?”

With a sigh, Anna just dove right in, “Well you know I’m still in love with her, but I want to be faithful to Moana, and I’m really scared that I’m going to do something stupid if I’m around Elsa for so long. I could barely even make it those two weeks in December.”

“You were single then. Do you really think that you’ll do anything crazy?”

Anna managed to avoid immediately confirming that. “Maybe.”

Giselle’s hand rested on Anna’s knee. “I’m still rooting for you crazy kids, but I know you won’t do anything to screw up her relationship with Tiana. Do they still seem to be pretty good?”

Chewing on her lip, Anna hesitated before finally nodding. “Yeah, they do. I still think I’d be better for her, but they’ve been together for years, and I don’t see that just falling apart.”

“And?”

“And I’m not willing to screw it up for them.”

“Exactly.” She smirked. “I know you, Anna. As head over heels as you may be for your sister, which in case I haven’t said it enough, hot, but you would never do anything to hurt her. You love her, even if it means that you have to let her be happy with someone else.”

“I’d still rather she be happy with me,” she grumbled.

“But you have Moana, and you know you’re not going to do anything like that.”

Anna folded her arms over her chest. “Probably.”

Giselle rolled her eyes. “Anna, as lovesick as you may be, you’re way too caring to do anything half as dumb as you think you will. Now, if anything changes, I will walk you through seducing her if you want me to, but as long as things are okay with Tiana, your sister is safe from your unconventional desires.”

 _I know she’s right._ “Your desires are more unconventional.”

She shrugged. “If you say so.”

It finally clicked. That was why she’d had to run up here. “You want me to leave you alone to finish that up?”

Her grin grew wicked, almost predatory. “Oh, no. You’re here now, he can wait. Can I get you something to drink?”

As long as she didn’t have to join in, Anna wasn’t too put out by facilitating Giselle’s games. She knew that she provided her plenty of amusement with her incestuous desires. “Sure, do you have a diet coke?”  
“Yeah, I’ll go grab a couple.”

A few moments later, she returned with their drinks. Anna took a sip, the caffeine did little to help with her anxiety. “Thanks.”

“Anything else on your mind?”

 _Isn’t there always?_ “So so so much. I’m stealing Olaf away and Kristoff is going to miss him, I actually just talked to him, and I’m going to be away from Moana for a month, which I guess I’m used to, but I’m going to be around Elsa, and I’m scared that I’ll stop being so into Moana when I’m around the woman I really want to – the other woman I love.” She screwed her eyes shut. _I was doing better! What is wrong with me today?_ “I don’t know, there’s just so much. Hell, I haven’t left Portland since Olaf was born, and that’s going to be weird too.”

Giselle pulled her into a hug. “Honey, you have to stop doing this to yourself.”

Anna shook her head, rubbing it against her friend. “No, I must fret. It’s the only way to handle everything.”

“You’re a dork.”

Anna pulled away, glaring at Giselle. “Fine, I just won’t vent to you about everything that happens with Elsa.”

Her eyes widened. “What, no! You’re not holding out on me. Your forbidden angst is like a drug to me.”

“Then be nice.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Then let’s work through all of those issues. It’s a month, Kristoff can handle it, just give him Olaf when you get back. For Moana, again, it’s a month, I know that Elsa is basically the perfect woman and that you’ll have to be on your best behavior around her, but you genuinely love Moana, you’re not going to just forget her.”

“But –”

“Anna, how often do you think about her?”

Anna considered that. Moana hadn’t been going through her mind as much today with the upcoming visit with Elsa, but the pilot always had a way of flying back to her, no matter how distracted she may be. _I love her. I know I do._ “Constantly.”

“Right. Even when you’re head over heels for Elsa, Moana is still obviously on your mind. Yes, I know you’re always head over heels for her.”

“Not always.”

“Yes. Constantly. Just look at our text log.”

Anna had been making sure to delete the conversations on her end to avoid having that reminder. _Of course she doesn’t. I’m sure she enjoys them every night._ “Fine, always.”

“But Moana is still always on your mind and in your heart. You’re visiting her first, right?”

Anna had changed her mind on that so many times, she’d actually forgotten that she’d bought tickets for Ohio first. _Way to prove your own point._ “Yeah. I definitely didn’t forget that.”

With a sigh, she went on, “Okay, so you’ll have a whole week with her. I’m sure you’ll still smell of her, and that’ll scare off Elsa just fine.”

“You’re gross.”

“Just a bit.” She brushed a curly strand of red hair out of Anna’s face, staring into her eyes. “Just have fun with your girlfriend. Nothing is going to happen with your sister, no matter how badly I might wish it, at least not anytime soon. So don’t worry. Have fun, enjoy your time with two people who you genuinely love, and just have a good summer.”

Her foot tapped on the hardwood and she averted her gaze. _How is Giselle at all straight?_ “Okay. You’re right.”

“Good girl.”

Anna narrowed her eyes, turning her gaze back to Giselle.

“Sorry. Reflex. Was there anything else?”

Anna rose from her seat, finishing the can of soda. “No. I think you got it all. I’ll be okay. I’ve just been worried.”

“I know.”

“You go have fun with your toy.”

The predatory smile returned. “Oh, I will. Want me to walk you out?”

“Nah, I’ve got your spare key, I can lock the door behind me.”

“Okay.” She gave her another hug and ruffled Anna’s hair. “Go get all sexy for tonight. I’ll see you in a little while.”

“All right.” Anna managed to smile back at her, squeezing her tight. Giselle had really managed to ease her troubled mind. “See you then.”

  

* * *

 

 

Anna had taken Giselle’s advice to heart. _My ass does look amazing in these jeans._ She was wearing the flannel shirt she’d bought with it. The outfit just made her feel confident, it was, after all, what she was wearing when she met her girlfriend.

She found Esmeralda and Giselle already waiting for her when she made it to the restaurant. Nani was running late. She didn’t even have an excuse with Lilo not there. _Maybe she just decided to take a nap and overslept? I’m not sure she ever manages to sleep otherwise._

“You do know that you’re here for another week, right?” Esmeralda asked as she sat down.

“Yeah,” Anna answered defensively.

“Then is there a reason you needed to assemble your great counsel of advisors now rather than just hanging out with us throughout the week? I’m not used to being around so many people I’m not sleeping with.”

“You have roommates,” Anna retorted.

“How does that change anything?”

Anna opened her mouth to respond, but promptly closed it when she understood her ex’s meaning. _Huh. Really? I never would’ve guessed._ “Oh.”

“So is there some great emergency you needed your royal trio for?”

“Have you been reading Lord of the Rings or something?”

She shrugged, drawing attention to her well muscled upper arms, expertly displayedby her tank top. _Seriously, how did it take me thirty years?_ “One of my roommates got me started playing Crusader Kings, it’s my new drug, well that and acid.”

“There’s no way acid is new for you.”

That prompted a giggle. “Okay, I’ll give you that one. Now I’m just far more convinced that you’re avoiding something.”

Anna looked to Giselle and received a decisive shrug. _Thanks._ “I’m not hiding anything.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Am I going to need to extract this information? I have my ways.”

If Anna was not already taken, she would be very interested in learning just what those ways were. _If they’re anything like Giselle’s ways, though, I’d be tapping out, or calling out my safe word or whatever you do almost immediately. Probably better not to try it._ “I’m not hiding anything. You don’t need to extract anything!”

Esmeralda moved toward her, exaggerated steps causing the leather of her biker pants to creak pleasantly. _I have a girlfriend!_ “Okay, I’ll talk!”

The smile on Giselle’s face drew Anna’s ire. _Some friend she is._ Anna glowered back at her friend, doing her best to properly express her betrayal.

“Hey, this is the juiciest gossip I’ve ever heard, Nani isn’t here yet to be all judgy, and if anyone is going to understand, it’ll be this crazy chick.”

Esmeralda quirked an eyebrow at her. “What was that?”

“You’re even freakier than I am, Esmeralda, and you know it.”

“We really do need to talk sometime. Without the prude.” She gestured toward Anna.

“Hey!”  
“I would love to check out your dungeon,” she continued. “I’ll even let you tie me up.”

Giselle bit her lip, looking Esmeralda up and down. “I don’t exactly play for your team, but that could be fun. You have any experience?”

Anna was torn between her desire to escape this conversation and her appreciation for it directing the inquisition away from her. She flagged down a waiter. “Just alcohol, wine, rum, whatever you can get here quickest.”

The waiter laughed until he realized Anna was serious. “So, wine?”

Anna bared her teeth in the closest approximation to a smile she could manage. “Sure. Wine sounds great.”

“So, tomorrow?” Esmeralda asked.

“Sure, I’m sure Jack will enjoy that.”

_Should’ve gone for the tequila._

Esmeralda leaned against the table, propping herself up with one hand, her gaze falling back to Anna. “So, you were saying?”

 _I should just go to the bathroom and never come back._ “Esmeralda,” she whined, her voice rising in pitch.

“Please?” Esmeralda actually pouted. She held out her lower lip, leaning even closer to Anna, until her lips were almost touching Anna’s ear. “Pretty please.”

Anna was pretty sure she short circuited. She was almost certain she hadn’t said anything to the effect of ‘I’m in love with my sister,’ to her ex-girlfriend, no one would be that crazy. Unfortunately, the excited look in Esmeralda’s eyes seemed to suggest that that was precisely what she’d done. “Fuck.”

A grin grew to match her eyes, her teeth showing as she dragged her chair until it was touching Anna’s knee and dropped into it. “Go on.”

 _That’s the first time someone didn’t say ‘tell me everything.’_ “Giselle, you tell her.”

“Gladly,” Giselle took a sip of her water and dove into the speech. _Has she rehearsed this?_ “So, I guess you probably haven’t met Elsa, but she’s a super tall, intimidating, Scandinavian woman, with almost white hair that you just want to run your fingers through, and the fact that they’re related and that she practically raised Anna is hardly enough to put a damper on that.” _Am I in love with her, or are you?_ “I still think she might return the feelings, I mean it’s the only explanation for why she was so hurt when Anna ran off to college. But anyway, Anna also had the same idea, and started reading everything Elsa did with some sort of romantic undertones, and ended up realizing that she was the one who was falling for Elsa. Poor thing had her heart broken when she found out that that wasn’t why her sister had been avoiding her for the past decade.”

Anna groaned. “That’s not exactly what happened.”

“It is so. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that Anna’s current girlfriend is great, I somehow haven’t met her, but Elsa is absolutely perfect for her, and filthy rich to boot.”

Esmeralda stroked her chin, turning away from the redhead she’d already slept with to the one she was apparently working on adding to that list. “Maybe she’s not as repressed as I’d thought.”

“I’m not repressed,” Anna whined.

“Sure seemed like you were when we slept together.”

Her jaw dropped. “What?” _Am I bad in bed? Moana hasn’t said anything. Why wouldn’t Esmeralda have said something before? What did I do wrong? I mean it was my first time with a woman, so I didn’t exactly know what I was doing, but I thought I got the hang of it. I’m not repressed!_

Esmeralda giggled, patting her on the shoulder. “I mean how hesitant you were with everything. It was your first time, it was understandable, I’m sure you’re much better now.” She winked, and Anna ignored any butterflies in her stomach. _When is the wine getting here?_ “You are kinda repressed though. You’re almost thirty-one and you’re only now figuring yourself out sexually. Maybe you should join us tomorrow, and we can work on that some more. I wouldn’t mind another round.”

Anna held up her hands, shaking her head vehemently. “I have a girlfriend!”

“Yeah, but not the one you want,” Esmeralda pointed out. “Clearly we just need to get you trained up so you can win Elsa.”

“I love Moana.” _This argument was so much easier when I was just having it with myself._

“Well then, maybe you should talk about this with her. If your sister is really as awesome as Giselle thinks she is, then I doubt Moana would be able to blame you.Hell, she might even want to join you.”

Anna grabbed the wine the second the waiter appeared, downing her glass and asking for him to leave the bottle and make with the tequila. _I already tried polyamory once. I just don’t think I have the constitution for it. There’s no way Moana would be interested._ “Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way she’d be okay with that. It’s just weird. It’s wrong. She’s my sister. Hell, she might legally be my mother.”

“Okay, I want more details on that later, so put a pin in it.” Esmeralda swirled her wine in its glass and took a big swig of it. “Why wouldn’t she be okay with it? We both are. I bet even Nani would be okay with it.”

Giselle cleared her throat. “Actually, Nani already knows, and she’s not keen on it, but from what Anna has said, she does understand.”

“That bitch. It’s a pure and wonderful thing.” She turned back to Anna. “Is that why you think it’s wrong? Don’t listen to Nani. You can love whoever you want to love.”

Anna poured her second glass and drank half of it in a single swallow. “No. I can’t. It’s not because it’s her, it’s that I never want to hurt Moana, I love her, and more importantly, or as importantly, I don’t know, it’s the simple fact that Elsa both doesn’t feel that way and is happy with Tiana. Please stop trying to push for this. It’s not gonna happen.”

Esmeralda deflated, giving Anna an apologetic look as she finished the rest of her glass. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push any buttons. Well then it’s her loss, and Moana’s a lucky girl. You’re an amazing woman, Anna, anyone would be lucky to have you.”

 _Says the girl who dumped me._ “Thanks,” Anna grumbled.

Esmeralda never got the chance to try to defend that statement, as Nani chose just then to appear, wearing a somewhat rumpled looking purple blouse. “Sorry, I fell asleep.”

Esmeralda laughed and gestured toward the empty seat. “Okay, clearly I was too hard on Anna, I forgot what Nani was like.”

“And just what am I like?”

“A sixty year old woman in the body of a thirty year old one?”

Nani’s eyes narrowed. “I have barely slept in the last five years. I take it when I can get it.”

Giselle mouthed ‘repressed’ to Anna, who only rolled her eyes, and said, “It’s okay, Nani, Esmeralda is just being a jerk today. I think she didn’t want to be dragged away from her computer game.”

Nodding in agreement, Esmeralda filled her glass back up. “That’s accurate. I was just about to secure an alliance by marrying off one of my kids.”

“Right. Have we ordered yet?” Nani looked around.

“Just alcohol,” Giselle explained.

“Sounds perfect, though I suppose we should eat too. All I have in my system is a bunch of coffee and a granola bar.”

Anna took that as a cue to look at the menu. “Esme, what’s good here?”  
She pursed her lips, considering this for a moment. “You can’t go wrong with much of anything, except the jambalaya, don’t even think about it, but the lobster, escargot, and really everything else is amazing.”

Anna murmured her understanding as she looked over the menu.

Esmeralda leaned back in her seat. “So, we already know Anna’s plans,” she mused with a chuckle. “What’s everyone else doing this summer?”

Giselle looked up from her menu. “Probably nothing too exciting, but Jack and I were thinking about going on vacation.”

“Oh, go to Greece, it’s amazing, I’ll tell you everywhere you should go, and I promise you’ll have the best time. Actually I wouldn’t be against going back, can I come?”  
Giselle processed that for a moment, blinking slowly. “We were more thinking like a theme park or something, maybe drive down to California and go to Six Flags.”

“Oh.” She sighed. “That can be fun too. I worked there for a few months when I was eighteen. I learned so much behind the Goliath. My screams were almost as loud as the people above us.”

Giselle nodded, as if Esmeralda was giving her sage advice. “Thanks, we’ll keep that in mind.”

Nani shook her head, pressing a finger to her temple. Anna could see her visibly plotting her escape.

“What about you, Nani?” Esmeralda asked.

She gave a wry smile. “Work, look after my little sister. I don’t get the summer off.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

Their waiter returned to take their orders. “Are we all here now?”

Most of them nodded, Esmeralda winked.

“How can I help you?” He set a tequila down in front of Anna. _I forgot I ordered that._ She and Nani both ordered the lobster, Giselle ordered the escargot, and Esmeralda ordered some shrimp dish that Anna didn’t quite catch – it may have been in French. They also all ordered cocktails, save for Anna, who was going to try to be satisfied with her shot.

“Anyone want to see a movie tomorrow?” Nani asked when the waiter left. “It’s so rare that I can actually do adult things, there’s one I’ve been wanting to see. Want to come with?”

“I’d love to,” Anna replied.

“Sorry, I have plans tomorrow,” Giselle said, prompting a lascivious grin from Esmeralda.

Anna tugged on Giselle’s floral sleeve. “We’ll be right back. Ladies room.” She dragged her into the bathroom.

“What?” Giselle asked, looking utterly flummoxed, somehow, as if she wasn’t up to any nefarious deeds with Anna’s ex-girlfriend.

“What do you mean ‘what?’ Are you really going to sleep with Esmeralda?”

She giggled. “Of course not.”

“Oh, so it’s just play?” She let out a breath, starting to feel relieved.

“Oh, we’re definitely going to play. I’ll see what Jack is up for, but I’m personally not going to sleep with her.”

“Oh.”

“I mean she’s a very attractive woman, but that doesn’t mean I’m attracted to her. She’d have to be really good in bed for me to reconsider that.”

Since they were already in the bathroom, Anna decided to splash some water on her face to see if it would restore any semblance of sanity to the world. It did not. “All right, let’s get back.”

“No, you dragged me in here, you can wait. I actually have to pee.”

A few minutes later, a slightly less chagrined Anna and a still excited Giselle returned to the table. “How about Sunday for the movie?” Giselle asked, as if they’d never left.

“Yeah, I could do that,” Nani replied. “It would just have to be early, I have work at six on Monday.”

“Jesus. Remind me to never be a mailman.”

“Were you planning on it?”

“Well, no.”

Anna took a sip of her tequila. It was surprisingly good, and if she was going to get through the evening, she may need more of it. “I’m still free tomorrow.”

Nani shook her head. “I would love to hang out, but unless you want to come nap with me, I’m going to be spending tomorrow alone. I need one of my days away from Lilo to actually involve sleep. If I can sleep for an entire twenty-four hours then all the better. Though I’d have to call out of work.”

Anna tried to imagine how napping together would work? She was sure they’d both napped at the same time at some point when they were roommates, but it just seemed weird. She’d rather nap with Moana anyway. “I’ll let you have your fun then.”

“Thank you.”

Before long, their food arrived. They all fell into some playful banter, and enjoyed the – as expected, given that Esmeralda recommended the place – ridiculously delicious meal. Anna’s lobster literally melted in her mouth. By nine, still slightly tipsy, they made their ways to their respective homes. Though Anna did wonder if that was true for Giselle and Esmeralda. She was still coming to grips with the idea of them doing whatever it was that they were doing.

She flopped onto her bed, feeling surprisingly alone. Olaf was with his father, her ex was possibly with one of her best friends, her sister was on the other side of the country, and she wasn’t quite sure where her girlfriend was. She gave her a call.

“Hey, babe,” Moana’s soothing voice greeted her through the phone’s speaker.

“Hey,” Anna murmured, snuggling into her pillow. She may have helped herself to some more wine since she returned home, and was feeling a bit more than tipsy.

“Sounds like you had a good day.”

She nodded and murmured an affirmative.

“Wish I was there.”

Anna could just imagine her warmth pressed against her. She missed her so much. “I do too. Where are you?”

She could hear Moana stretching, getting comfortable in whatever hotel bed she was in. “I’m in Seattle if you want to drive up here and cuddle.”

It was sorely tempting. “I’m too drunk for that.”

Moana giggled. “Well I don’t want you driving in that condition. If only there was something else we could do then.”

Anna blinked. She’d never actually done anything like that before. They’d always saved their sexual activities for when they were in the same room. “Oh?” she replied nervously, her voice an octave higher than usual.

“I mean, not if you don’t want to.”

“No, I do! I’ve just –” she bit her lip, “Never done it before.”

“Well then, I’ll just have to walk you through it.”

By the end of the night, Anna was exhausted, content, and excited for the week to be over already. She couldn’t wait for the chance to do that for real again.


	37. Elsa - The Monsters Who Can Afford Me

Her coffee in hand, Elsa made her way into the office. She bid a good morning to Mia when she saw her, and to a couple other associates whose names she was still having some trouble remembering. It was progress. She wasn’t locked away in her office ignoring everyone else around her anymore, she wasn’t the same person she’d been a year ago. She wondered how much of it was because she’d let her sister back into her life, and how much of it was unrelated. She supposed it didn’t terribly matter either way.

She had a meeting at 9:30, and she was grabbing lunch with Anya at 11:00, but outside of that, she just had some files to go over and a couple phone calls to make. She’d been making sure to wrap up most of the work she had so that she’d be able to spend most of her time with Anna. She’d even bought tickets to a few Broadway shows that she was hoping Anna and Olaf would be interested in. Though one of them was definitely not Olaf appropriate. It had been a long time since her sister had last been to New York, and she wanted to make a much better impression this time.

Just after she hung up the phone with one of her biggest clients, having just finished arranging the merger that had taken almost two years to set up, someone knocked on her door. “Come in,” she called, mentally ticking off that call from all that she had to accomplish this week.

“Hi,” Mia Thermopolis stuck her head in the room, waving her hand. “Are you free?”

“I did say ‘come in.’”

“Right.” She opened the door the rest of the way and almost leapt into the chair opposite Elsa. “Can I pick your brain again? It’s nothing major, I just wanted some help on this.”

She didn’t have that much left keeping her busy. “Sure. Lay it on me.” She steepled her hands on the desk, staring over them at her apprentice. It probably came off a bit more imposing than she’d hoped, she was going more for wise and considering, but imposing was what she had the most practice at.

“It’s a medical malpractice suit.”

Elsa grinned. “What is this, your fourth one? You’re starting to develop a bit of a name for yourself there. Did you just come in here to brag?”

“Maybe a little.” She did her best to hide her smile. “That’s actually how I managed to get this client. Well sort of, I guess that one was actually a HIPAA case. Remember the hospital you helped me sue ages ago? After they saw me in court against Josh, they swapped him out with someone higher up, who settled with me for way more than even favorable projections expected, just so they could drop the case and avoid any conflict with us. Then they hired me, well our firm, but still, me, as their lawyer. I actually brought in a huge client, it was a month ago, but I’m still so excited about it.” She toyed with her curly hair, trying not to seem too full of herself.

“You should be. That’s amazing.”  _Especially for a first year associate. Holy shit, we’re gonna need to keep an eye on her. She’s partner material. Might even beat me as youngest to make it._ “I’m really proud of you. I’d like to think I helped a little.”

Her eyes widened. “You did! You totally did. I definitely couldn’t have done it without you.”

“You don’t need to stroke my ego.”

“I mean it. I was so nervous, all that practice with you made a world of difference. It’s why I was hoping you could help out with this? I’m sure I’ll be fine, I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t overlooked anything. It’s my first big case since they hired me on as counsel.” She gave the biggest, goofiest grin, pulling her hand back to her side. “Please?”

“I already said I would. Now tell me already.”

She leaned forward, conspiring with the partner. “Okay, so the hospital ran a test for this patient, it came up negative, everything should have been fine. They told him that and sent him home. Two months later, he was admitted into a different hospital and was apparently pretty close to death. He had to go on IV antibiotics for almost a month, when it should’ve been a pretty simple thing if we’d just caught it in time.”

Elsa pursed her lips. “The test came back negative, it’s not their fault if it was a false negative.”

“Yeah, that’s what I would have thought, but it looks like there’s a lot of precedent saying otherwise. I’m just not sure how to proceed.”

Elsa so rarely handled malpractice. “This isn’t exactly my specialty. You may know more than I do here. What are the damages exactly? The medical costs for being in the hospital so long?”

“That and the loss of work.”

“It might be worth it to just offer a settlement. Just cover all of the medical expenses and a reasonable estimation of their lost income. It’s better than going to court and losing and opening yourself up to anyone else that feels their negative test results are also worth suing over.”

“We’re already pretty open to it from all the research I’ve found.” Amelia chewed on a strand of her hair. This was not as easy of a case as she’d made it sound. “Dr. Gupta wasn’t negligent though. She took every precaution to avoid this, it was just random chance.”

“Then say that. It’s all just going to depend on how sympathetic the opposition can manage to sound. They didn’t die – the treatment was successful right?”

She nodded.

“Then all they can really argue is that they had to waste a month. It sucks, but it’s far from the end of the world, and could even seem kind of petty as far as malpractice goes, if you can manage to hammer that point home without victimizing the plaintiff—” Elsa sighed. “Is it a judge or a jury?”

“A judge.”

“That’s better at least. It depends on the judge of course. Has one already been assigned?”

“Yeah, Judge Vasilovich.”

A smile began to spread across Elsa’s face. “Then you’re fine. He’s a good man, he’ll rule based on the facts. Just don’t bully the plaintiff and you should be good. He’s a very fair judge, and the definition of no-nonsense.”

She seemed relieved by that news. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem. I’d still say it’s worth it to offer a settlement, just to make it go away, maybe just do the medical expenses, and not try for the missed work. That way if they refuse, you can make it sound like they’re being unreasonable. You already offered to pay for their medical expenses out of the kindness of your heart, and yet they still pushed for more.”

“You really are the best.”

 _She really does suck up a lot. I can never tell if it’s genuine._ “Go get ready for your case then.” She drained her second cup of coffee. “I have a meeting I need to get ready for.”

At 9:10, she walked into the conference room, finding people already waiting and just beginning to grow impatient. She took her time, pouring a cup of coffee from the pot in the corner, and leisurely making her way to the far seat opposite them. They could wait. “So, gentleman,” she began, passing her gaze across the three men, “My client should be just behind me. I believe you had an offer for us.”

Just as they started to talk, Ms. Porter walked in, taking her seat next to Elsa. “Don’t let me interrupt,” she said, projecting a tone of utter indifference.

The man across from them ground his teeth. “We just want our jobs back.”

“I’m afraid that’s not on the table,” the CEO replied.

Elsa tapped her shoulder. “Let me do the talking, Jane.”

She shrugged. “Fine. Then talk.”

So Elsa talked. “No admission of guilt, and you’re bound to confidentiality, but we’ll waive your non-competes, and offer thirty thousand dollars apiece as severance. All sealed.”

A look passed among the trio as they considered this offer. Elsa set three envelopes on the table, and two of them were promptly snatched up. Only the grimacing middle man remained, with a good deal of his power now stripped from him.

“This deal ends the second you walk out that door.”

He looked between his two compatriots, betrayal clear in his expression. “What are you thinking?”

“Hey, I need to eat,” the one on his left replied.

With an exaggerated groan, he took the last envelope. “Fine.”

“That’s what I thought. It was a pleasure doing business with you. Now get out of my building.” They left with barely another word. It always felt weird to be that ice queen again, overpowering defenseless fools who don’t even understand their own case or what they could expect for it. She’d grown so soft, so caring, and into a person she liked a lot more, but sometimes it was useful to still be able to do that. It was what people paid her for. Besides, if she hadn’t, there wasn’t a lawyer in the world who could’ve won the case if it actually went to trial. She had to shut it down, no matter what it took. “Ms. Porter, a delight as always.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls.”

“Only the ones who can afford me.”  _Now I sound like a hooker._ “I’m glad we were able to wrap that up quickly. That could have gone very badly for you.”

“I know,” she muttered, her indifferent facade falling, and revealing a chagrined expression. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”

“It better not. Next time I can’t guarantee it’ll be this easy.”

“You’re right.” She choked back a sob. “I’m getting therapy. you won’t have to deal with this again, the next time I call you, it’ll just be that I violated some environmental regulation or something.”

“See? That’s much better, and it’ll take longer and net me more hours, while risking far less harm to your reputation.”

She offered a faint smile.

“Are you sure that was all of them? You haven’t pulled this with anyone else, whether or not you fired them?”  
“I’m sure, Elsa. I’m not an animal.”

“Tell that to them.”

Jane sighed, turning her gaze to the floor to ceiling window across from them, looking out over Hell’s Kitchen. “I’m gonna get back to work. I left an extraordinarily expensive bottle of scotch in your office if that makes up for it at all.”

“It’s a start.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

For once, she beat Anya to Oaken’s. She went ahead and ordered for her, grabbing her a bagel and a coffee. Elsa had already had three coffees, so she decided to just go with a hot chocolate to accompany her chocolate croissant. She found their usual seats and waited while her drink cooled down.

A few minutes later, Anya walked in and found her. “Bagels?” She quirked an eyebrow. “I could’ve just gone to my usual place.”

“If you wanted something else you should’ve gotten here on time.”

She shrugged and took her seat, helping herself to one of the bagels. “Okay, this is actually pretty good. My place is still better.”

“You can go order something else if you want.”

“It’s fine.”

Elsa rolled her eyes. “Belle told me that your new client has a big class action suit coming against them. You sure you’re going to be able to handle it?”

“We’ll be fine. Don’t go trying to steal them back for your firm.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She sipped her hot chocolate. It would be a fun way to mock Robert, but she didn’t want to bankrupt her oldest friend. “But that’s a lot for three people to handle. You should look into some outside help. You don’t have the resources for a class action.”

“I said we’ll be fine,” she snapped, tearing off a quarter of her bagel in a single bite.

“Okay.” Elsa held up her hands in surrender. “I believe you.”  _I suppose worst case scenario, I’ll just snatch them up and hope that her firm can manage to recover. If she’s not going to accept help, I can’t force her._

“You better.” She spread some cream cheese on the bagel. “You have anything exciting happening?”

“Just Anna. I’m minimizing my case load for the month that she’s here. I’ll probably just go in a couple times a week.”

Anya’s jaw dropped in a very obviously exaggerated fashion. “No way. I can’t believe our workaholic Elsa is actually taking time off just to see her little sister. Have you been replaced with a pod person? Are you The Thing? Let me go grab my car lighter.”

“There is no way your car has a lighter.”

“Oaken, can I borrow a lighter?”

A booming chuckle echoes from the counter. “I’m not letting you burn my best client. Even if she’s actually a shapeshifting monster, you’re just going to have to put up with it. I need the income.”

Anya glared at the massive man. “Well then when this horrifying abomination takes over the city, it’s on you. We could have stopped her.”

Elsa finished her croissant. “That horrifying abomination is right here.”  
“Are you going to open your entire head into a mouth and eat me?”

“Yes.”

“Damn.”

Elsa kicked her shin.

“I’m dying now. Oaken, tell Belle I love her.” She placed her hand over her chest, sliding from her chair.

“I don’t know who Belle is.”

Her eyes closed as her head lulled to the side.

“Okay then, I’m gonna go,” Elsa announced, draining her drink and standing. “Have fun being dead or whatever.”

Anya sat back up. “Wait.”

“Ah, a zombie,” Elsa said flatly.

“Fine, I’ll behave. I’m proud of you. I just can’t believe how much you’ve changed. I remember a time when you would just ignore Anna, and everyone else, and bury yourself in your work. You’re not a terrifying monster, you’re just a lot more human than I recall you being.” She gestured toward Elsa’s seat.

Elsa sat back down. “Thank you. I think. That last part was pretty insulting.”

“You literally stopped talking to me for a year because I quit working at your law firm.”

“Okay. Maybe I deserve it. I was still human though.”

“Barely.”

Elsa groaned.

“Doing anything fun with Anna? Are Belle and I going to meet her? Tiana might actually go crazy with two redheads in the same place.”

She shook her head at the image. “The last time that happened one of them was straight, she really might lose it. Just don’t give in. I know she can be very persuasive.”

“You think she’d really do it?”

She could only shrug. It was becoming harder and harder for her to tell just what was going through Tiana’s mind when she was pulling that shit. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t think she would without my permission, but I’m not sure at just what point she’d stop.”

“Well I’ll try to keep my clothes on around her then.”

“I appreciate that.”

Anya stretched, checking the time on her phone. “I actually probably should get heading back. We have to get ready for that class action.”

“All right. Good luck. I really do think you should look into bringing in another firm. It doesn’t have to be mine, but that’s a lot to handle.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I know. You’ve said. I’ll pay for lunch next time. You have a good one, let me know when I can meet your sister.” She waved and made her way out the door.

Elsa waited until she was gone. She was worried about her friend and wasn’t sure that she could avoid saying it a fourth time if she followed her out. “Have a good day, Oaken.”

“Ja, you have a good day too, Elsa. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She chuckled. He wasn’t wrong.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Gaston barged into her office. “You’re not gonna believe this.”

 _Nothing good has ever started that way._ “What?”

“Come on. We have to go to my office.”

“Can’t you just tell me?” She followed after the silent name partner. He wasn’t exactly her boss anymore, but she still couldn’t really refuse without making a whole thing about it.  _This better actually be something interesting._ She racked her brain for what it could possibly be.  _Was it a new client? Was it his birthday? No, that’s in October. What could he possibly need?_

When they walked into his office, she found that none of her ideas were even close. It was, however, certainly interesting. “Hi.” Eric Clements waved at her from the seat in front of Gaston’s desk.

 _You’ve got to be shitting me._  “What happened?”  _It’s been four months. How much trouble could he have gotten himself into?_

“The police may be looking into me for another murder. They haven’t arrested me yet, if that’s what you were worrying about. I just wanted to make sure that my lawyers were ready if it came to that.” He smiled at her, and she somehow didn’t punch him in the face.

Gaston took his seat and stared down at the young man. He looked like he was ready to rip him in half. “Right, I wanted you to explain that. Why might they think that you murdered someone else?” His voice was terse. Elsa couldn’t recall him ever seeming that angry. She was half-expecting him to just light on fire. His face already seemed to be reddening, so it didn’t appear to be outside the realm of possibility.

“Well you see, Vanessa ended up dead. I’ve no idea how it happened, obviously.”

Elsa’s blood ran cold. She sat on the edge of Albert’s desk, her teeth bared as she glared down at Mr. Clements. “No idea? Just like the last time, then?”

“Exactly.” He offered an affable smile, looking to all the world like an innocent man. That was exactly how he got off last time.

Elsa wanted to throw up. It wasn’t like she hadn’t gotten off guilty people before, but she had known, or at least suspected, that they were guilty. With Eric, while he’d rubbed her the wrong way, she’d genuinely believed in his innocence. She’d been relieved when they won. She’d felt like it had made up for losing Kuzco’s case, that she’d made amends, kept someone out of prison who genuinely didn’t deserve to be there. She’d give anything to reverse the two rulings. “What makes you think we’d represent you again?”

He quirked his head, staring up at Elsa, his brow knitting. “Why wouldn’t you? I can still afford you, I promise.”

“That’s not good enough,” Gaston growled.

“You lied to us,” Elsa added, her eyes boring into her former client – she only wished it could be literal.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That same smile, as if he wasn’t actually a monster.  _If only Anya was here to overreact and grab a lighter._   _That would be fun to see._

“We can’t trust you,” Gaston explained, doing his best to keep his voice calm. Elsa could see murder in his eyes, he really did want to wring Eric’s neck. She felt similarly.

“I said I didn’t do it.”

“Exactly,” Elsa replied. The emotion was gone from her voice. She’d be as cold as she needed to be to make it through this conversation. “Had you been honest with us, we could have served you properly, but instead you perjured yourself on the stand, and we had to put you up there. Our licenses could be on the line. No, more than that, because we got you off, an innocent woman is dead. That’s on us.”

“I never said she was innocent.”

Elsa’s nails dug into the table.

“Get out of my office,” Gaston announced, rising from his chair and towering over the young man. “We’re not your lawyers. You can find someone else who wants to deal with your shit. We’re done.”

He looked between the two of them, his mouth hanging open. “What are you talking about? You’re lawyers. Why wouldn’t you represent me?”

“I can represent a lot of disgusting people,” Gaston said calmly. “You’re not even the worst, but as my name is on the wall there, I get to decide who I take, and you’re going to get out of here.”

He scoffed. This was all just a joke to him, wasn’t it? “Well if you refuse me now, then that’s as good as admitting my guilt. You can’t just do that. It would violate privilege, right?”

Elsa found herself smiling. She was enjoying his suffering more than she’d have ever expected. It was better than grilling that ex-drag queen had been. “If other lawyers decide to take your previous counsel refusing to work with you as tantamount to admitting your guilt, they’re free to do that, but we’re not telling anyone anything, and you’re perfectly free to find counsel that’s willing to represent you. It’s just not us.”

“But couldn’t they use that in court?” He was fidgeting in his seat, swallowing, his mouth running dry. He must have been so sure that he could count on them to get him acquitted all over again.

“I’m sure the judge wouldn’t allow it,” Gaston said. “It just might mean a few other firms wouldn’t want to deal with you. After all, if the best firm in New York doesn’t want you, then obviously there’s something wrong with you.”

He gulped audibly, his mouth hanging open again. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. Now get the fuck out of my office.” He pointed to the door. “Or I’m calling security.”

He looked between them one last time. Elsa and Albert both shook their heads. He wasn’t going to receive any help there. He made his way to the door, but turned around. “You’ll pay for this.”

“Could I get that in writing?” Albert asked.

Eric slammed the door behind him. They could hear him stomping down the hall.

“I’m sorry, Elsa. I really thought he was innocent.”

“I know, Albert. It’s not your fault. I should’ve trusted my instincts. I knew something was wrong with him from the start.” Her nails finally released the desk. There were scratch marks in the expensive mahogany. She felt a bit bad for that. “Sorry about the desk.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s easier to deal with than getting his blood out of the carpet. I just can’t believe it. I thought if he was really like the police were saying, then that test would’ve shown it. To hate women that much, to treat them like he does, and to be able to just hide it. He makes the man I used to be look like a goddamn saint.”

Elsa let out a shaking breath. That had taken so much from her. “I have some really nice scotch in my office that was a gift from another disgusting client. Want to go drain the bottle?”

With a heavy sigh, he nodded, and stood, following her to the door.

The scotch did little to numb their pain. They finished less than half of it, and found that they were still hating themselves and desperately wishing that they could violate privilege to make sure he was sent away for life. Unfortunately, it would not only have them disbarred, but fail to send him away, as they didn’t actually have even a confession to offer. There was nothing they could do, even if they were willing to give up everything. He might get off again only to murder another woman, and it was their fault.

Gaston left to go back to his office. Neither of them wanted to discuss it anymore. They’d gone over everything, rehashing the details again and again. They should have known.  _It’s just ridiculous! If I’d known he was guilty and gotten him off I’d be fine, but this, and knowing that because I trusted him another woman died, all of it is just too much._

She threw back another glass of scotch and grabbed her phone, calling back her last call, expecting it to be Tiana.

“Hey, Elsa.” Anna’s voice came from the phone.

Elsa stared at the screen. She’d called her sister. Anna was better at making her not hate herself anyway. “Hey,” she all but sobbed, the word slightly slurred.

“Are you okay?” She sounded panicked.  _Now I’m worrying her._

“Sorry. Just a long day.”

“Isn’t it like two there?”

She pulled the phone away from her ear again, checking the top-right of the screen. It was 2:15 in the afternoon. “It’s been a very long day then.”

“Have you been drinking?”

Elsa stared at the bottle and poured herself another drink. “Yeah.”

“What happened? Is it something with Tiana?”

She shook her head.  _Right. Phone._ “No. Nothing like that.”

“Then what?”

She leaned back in her chair, kicking her feet onto the desk. She could hardly be concerned with scuffing it at this point. “I was wrong about a client. I defended him, I thought he was innocent, and because of that an innocent woman is dead. I’d shut myself off for so long. Sure, I hated myself a little, but it wasn’t like this. It shouldn’t hurt this much.”

A sob crackled through the speaker. “Oh my god, Elsa. I’m so sorry. I don’t even know what. No one should have to go through that. Wow. Elsa, what can I do? I love you. It wasn’t your fault. I promise. You didn’t do anything wrong. Everyone deserves a defense.”

“He doesn’t.” She swallowed the scotch. It still wasn’t helping. “I should’ve just told him that his case was so perfect he didn’t need a lawyer and should just go pro se. Then maybe he’d have lost and Vanessa would still be alive.”  _I guess she didn’t know any better either. She defended him too._

“Should I move my trip up? I can just come straight there. I want to be there for you, Elsa. You shouldn’t be going through this alone.”  
She knew better than to shake her head this time. She wasn’t falling for that again. “It’s okay. You spend your time with your girlfriend. I’ve got Tiana here, I’ll be okay. I’m not going through this alone, a friend of mine was second chair. We just spent a while commiserating over this. I’ll be okay. I’ve done worse. I know I have.”

“It sounds like the other times didn’t hit quite this hard.”

“They didn’t.”

“Any idea why that is?” She was trying so hard to keep it together, just so she could look after Elsa. It made her feel even worse. It was her job to look after her little sister, not the other way around.

“I just had a lot riding on this case. It made me feel better when I was really down on myself. I knew that I’d fought and won an innocent man his freedom. Even if he was a bit of a creep, he wasn’t a killer. I trusted him. I was wrong. That doesn’t happen to me. I can read people. I know when they’re lying to me, and yet I accepted his.”

“It sounds like he’s a psychopath. Like full on Hannibal Lecter. It’s not your fault that he manipulated you. That’s on him.”

Elsa sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “I know.”

“Then stop beating yourself up. Is there anything you can do about it?”

“Not really.”

“Then just let it go, he’s already done enough to you, stop letting him do more. You did your job, even monsters deserve a defense. It’s not a crime to trust people, there is nothing wrong with you. You just care about your clients. I’m sure that’s a rare trait, and your clients are lucky to have you. Don’t let the few bad ones ruin that. Don’t let them change you.”

Elsa snickered. “I mean they’re pretty much all bad. Good people don’t need lawyers too often, and they almost definitely can’t afford me.” She thought about Jane Porter again. Another despicable human being that she prevented from facing consequences.

She could picture Anna, tears pooled in her eyes, doing her best not to break down crying so she could talk her through this. “Even bad people deserve a second chance. Sometimes a third. I don’t mean this guy, clearly he didn’t. He’s unrepentant. But because of you, I’m sure a lot of people have been able to turn their lives around.”

She reconsidered Jane. She was seeing a therapist. Maybe she really would be able to change, and her remaining employees would be all the better for it.  _Say that to those three. Say it to Vanessa._ “I don’t know.”

“Everyone is entitled to a defense, Elsa. You’ve told me it so many times. Don’t stop believing it, okay?”

“It’s not like I’m running a charity. I work for the monsters who can afford me.”

“You’re a partner now. I’m still not entirely sure how that works, but it means you’re your own boss, right?”

“Yeah, mostly.”

Anna must’ve blown on the microphone, as it crackled in Elsa’s ear. “Then change that. Still defend the people that can afford you, they deserve it too, but do more free – pro bono, right? Do more of that.”

She could. Elsa blinked, considering that. She would bet that Albert would be interested in it too. Neither of them wanted for much at this point, and they both seemed to feel a need to repent. They could do it. They already had a pro bono program for indigent clients, they could expand it, or just take some cases from it. “I should.”

“Then do it. If you think you need to make up for that case, then you have a way to do it. Don’t keep beating yourself up, just help more people. Better people.”

Elsa was surprised to find herself smiling. She was still hating herself, and still quite drunk, but she was starting to feel a bit better. “I will. Thanks, Anna. I needed that. I love you.”

“I -- I love you too,” she replied immediately, stuttering on the first word. “Now go take a nap and sleep off that alcohol.”

Elsa had to give her that. “Whatever you say.”  
Anna gave something between a giggle and a sob. “Text me when you wake up, I want to know that you’re okay.”

“I will. I’ll talk to you later, Anna.”

“Talk to you then.” They hung up, and Elsa decided that her chair was adequately comfortable. She closed her eyes, and between the alcohol and the long long day, she was out in a minute.


	38. Anna - Is She Momming My Kid?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Skyline Chili, I apologize, but it’s still accurate. To the rest of Ohio, you know what you did. To everyone else, Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice, and I hope you all had fantastic holidays.

“Yep, I just landed. Already texted Moana, she said she’d be here in about twenty minutes. The flight was early.” Anna took a seat on the bench near baggage claim. Olaf was watching the conveyor belt, and she was paying just enough attention to tell him to stop every time he tried to play on it. He always obeyed and came back to her, then started examining it again.

“All right. And you brought everything?” Elsa asked on the other end of the call. “All the stuff you need for when you’re there, toys for Olaf, protection –”

“Yes, mom,” she groaned. _Okay, that feels weird._ “I have everything, just like when we went over that list before I left. You know I’m a thirty year old woman and a mother, I know how to look after myself.”

She could hear Elsa grumbling over the phone. _She must be trying to make up for lost time. Back when we’d all but stopped talking, I may have actually needed this advice. Not that I would have listened to it._ “I’m just worried.”

“Why? It’s not like I’ve gone to some third world country where I’m going to be robbed. I’m in Cincinnati.”

“You do know people get robbed in the US too, right?”

Anna glared at the space in front of her, imagining that Elsa was there. What actually was there was Olaf trying to climb on the conveyor belt again. “Olaf, that’s enough, come here, and stay here. I’ve told you too many times.”

“Anna?” Elsa asked.

“Yes, Mama,” Olaf muttered, taking a seat next to his mother. “Can I go look at that restaurant?” He pointed toward a little cafe.

“No.” Normally Olaf was so well behaved – at least when Lilo wasn’t around – but apparently the exciting new adventure was too much stimulation for him. “Sorry, Elsa, you still there?”

Olaf pouted, kicking the carpet.

“I’m still here,” Elsa answered. “Trouble with Olaf?”

“It’s nothing. He’s just excited. He’s never left Oregon before.”

“Ohio sure is exciting.” Elsa laughed. “I can understand though. Mama made me keep an eye on you at the airport when we were kids. You almost managed to climb through the baggage claim in Norway and I had to drag you back by your backpack. You’re lucky you were wearing it or else it would’ve been your pigtails.”

Anna was growing increasingly annoyed that Elsa was not there to be the recipient of her continued glaring. “I don’t remember that.”

“You were like four, I can’t say I’m surprised. You were so much worse behaved than your son is.”

That she could believe. Between Lilo and her time teaching kindergarten, she knew firsthand just how lucky she was to have such a well behaved son, the day’s events notwithstanding. “If you say so.”

“I do. You were a terror. Norway didn’t know what hit it.”

“There’s no way I was that bad.” _Please say there’s not a newspaper article or anything._

“Maybe not quite that bad,” Elsa conceded. “But you were a lot for a seven year old to handle.”

It had always been Elsa handling her. Even on vacation, their parents were always busy with work. It made the frequent jokes that Giselle made about Elsa being her mother seem all the more accurate, and her feelings for her all the more disconcerting. “I’m sure you were even worse when you were a kid.”

“No, I was a perfect child. Papa always said that he was amazed I didn’t change my own diapers, the way I looked after myself.”

 _Of course she was. Elsa is always perfect._ “Well I’m sorry I couldn’t be more like you then.” It came out crueler than she meant it to. She wasn’t mad at Elsa, at least she didn’t think she was. If she was, it certainly wasn’t over their childhood visits to Norway.

“Anna.” Elsa faltered, several seconds passed without a word. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I wasn’t complaining about having to look after you. I loved it. You were always the most important thing in the world to me. Hell, you know that’s why I acted like I did when you went off for college. You were perfect, you always have been.”

Anna was more than a little embarrassed to find herself blushing, and did her best to conceal it from her son. She didn’t want to have to explain any of it to him. Besides, she’d be seeing her girlfriend soon, this should be the farthest thing from her mind. “Thank you,” she breathed, the words scarcely more than a whisper. She was trying to banish the thoughts from her mind the best she could.

“Any time. I’m really sorry that I upset you.”

She groaned, leaning against the wall. She hated hurting Elsa. “You didn’t. It’s just jet lag. Don’t worry about it.”

Olaf tugged on her skirt and pointed at the cafe again.

She hated to reward his behavior, but she could honestly use some coffee herself. “I’ve gotta get going. I love you, Elsa.”

“Love you too, Anna. Let me know when you get there safe?”

“Of course.” She hung up and grabbed Olaf’s hand to prevent him from running off again, and they made their way over to the cafe. Olaf had a cinnamon roll, and she had a chocolate croissant and a cup of coffee. Neither the pastry nor the drink were particularly amazing, but Olaf seemed to love his cinnamon roll.

By the time they’d finished their food, Anna’s phone chirped to announce that Moana was waiting for them in the arrivals section. Olaf marveled at the statues of flying pigs as walked through the airport.

Moana threw her arms around Anna when she saw her. “I’ve missed you,” she sighed, holding Anna to her.

Her scent was comforting, warm, needed. Anna had missed her more than she’d even realized, and she’d already known that she’d been missing her a lot. “I missed you too.” She pulled away the slightest bit, not wanting to stop touching her, and looked into warm brown eyes, her hand flying up to cup Moana’s cheek as she pulled her into a kiss.

“Hey!” Olaf shouted. “Can’t you wait until we get there?”  
Moana smirked, Anna could feel her lip moving against hers. She pulled away, her smile radiant as she looked from Anna to Olaf. “You’re right. Let’s get going.” She grabbed Olaf and Anna’s suitcases and dragged them to the trunk, closing it with a slam that shook the small vehicle. “You ready, Anna?”

Her eyes were still half-lidded, it had been a hell of a kiss. She shook herself back to her senses and made her way to the side of the car. “Yeah. Come on, Olaf.” She helped him into the back seat and put him in his car seat, and found her girlfriend by the passenger door, taking her hand. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to get the door for you.” She grinned, letting out a nervous giggle. “And do this.” She pulled Anna into a deep kiss, her arms folding around her. When she pulled back, Anna gasped for air. “Happy belated birthday, honey.”

“That was Friday. Why, did you get me something?”

“Your plane tickets here and to New York weren’t enough of a gift?” She smirked.

Anna sighed, pouting playfully. “I suppose they’ll do.” Her expression shifted into a grateful smile. “Thank you so much, Moana. It means a lot.”

“Well, I did get you one other little thing.” She opened the passenger door, and pulled out a black velvet box, opening it to reveal a necklace with turquoise at the center of silver pendant. She draped it over Anna’s head, allowing it to hang neatly over her chest.

“It’s beautiful,” Anna breathed.

“I’m glad. Let’s get going before your kid loses his mind.”

With a contented smile, Anna nodded, and climbed into the passenger seat as Moana held the door open for her.

“You hungry?” Moana asked, as she started the engine.

“I’m starving!” Olaf announced. Apparently the cinnamon roll had not been enough for him.

“I could eat.”

“Well, prepare for,” she paused, considering the reality of the situation, “food. I promise it’s at least food.”

Ten minutes later, they were sitting inside of a Skyline Chili. Olaf was waiting on a plain hot dog and a bowl of shredded cheddar cheese while the adults were waiting on the standard coneys for which the establishment was famous. Anna had agreed to let Olaf have a Pepsi, despite the late hour, since he was on vacation. His conviction that it was still really six PM despite the clocks saying nine was somewhat convincing.

“So is this place actually any good?” Anna asked. Portland had spoiled her, all the more so with Esmeralda’s influence. Even growing up in southern California, with access to all kinds of food, she had been astounded by so many of her finds in Portland, and the degrees to which they had dwarfed anything else in quality and flavor. She just wished she’d actually found them herself.

Moana hesitated. “It’s not bad.”

“Then why take me here? You seem to have to hedge every remark about it.” _I sound like Elsa._ “Why have my first impression of Cincinnati be a restaurant that you’re not that hot on?”

She sucked on her teeth, staring down at the stained countertop. “I grew up going here. Nothing is amazing, especially compared to the food a lot of places I’ve traveled, but it’s all really nostalgic. Their hot dogs were the first I really loved as a kid, well them and ballpark dogs with my dad. My mom actually found the chili recipe from here, so we’d even have it at home, or at least a close approximation. As much as I hate Ohio, it’s part of me, and this place is part of that. I don’t know if the food is exactly good, though I hope you’ll like it. I think Olaf will at least, they’re pretty good for picky eaters. It’s just,” she hesitated.

“It’s important to you.” Anna squeezed her hand, smiling up at her. “I’m sure I’ll love it. You don’t need to worry.” _I still love microwaved burritos, I’m sure a chili cheese dog will be fine._ “It looks pretty good.”

Moana smiled back at her, looking somewhat relieved. Their food was set before them, along with three bowls of oyster crackers. Anna had never seen them served without soup. It was kind of strange. “Well, dig in.”

She took a bite. The hot dog was surprisingly decent, far better than Moana had made it sound. It definitely wasn’t her favorite restaurant ever, but it wasn’t bad at all. It was way better than that airport croissant.

Olaf shoveled cheese into his mouth and beamed up at them. “The cheese is good.”

“I’m glad.” Moana giggled. There was a speck of chili on the corner of her mouth.

Anna leaned toward her, and brushed the food off with her thumb. “Need some help, honey?”

She rolled her eyes. “I let the chili do what it wants and clean up afterward. It’s the correct way to eat a coney, thank you very much.”

“Sure it is.” Anna took another bite of her surprisingly small food. _Maybe that’s why they give you the crackers._

Olaf seemed to have as much cheese in his lap as in his stomach when he finally ate half of one of his hot dogs in a single bite. “It’s really good, Mama. Can we come here again tomorrow?”

Anna looked to Moana for help. _Save me._

“Do you like barbecue?” she asked.

He quirked his head. “That’s not an answer.”

“It affects my answer.”

“I guess so. Ribs are good, though I don’t really like the sauce. It’s so messy.” Anna tried not to laugh at the irony of that coming from the cheese covered six-year-old.

“Well there’s a couple good barbecue places in town. We should go to one of them tomorrow.”

“But I like this place!” He tried to stomp his foot, but could only hit air from his stool.

“Olaf.” Anna’s voice was cold. He’d been misbehaving an awful lot today. “Do you need a nap?”

“No!”

“We’re Moana’s guests. She’s letting us stay with us and you even get your own room. Let her pick the restaurants. She knows the town better.”

He groaned and shoved the rest of the first hot dog into his mouth. “Fine,” he managed through his full mouth.

Anna shook her head. “I’m sorry, Moana.”

“It’s fine.” She leaned over her to ruffle the boy’s hair. “It’s a whole new experience for him. I can’t blame him for being a little agitated. Besides, he likes my childhood restaurant, I can’t be mad at him.”

Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Despite how well they’d gotten along so far, she’d been worried about spending time with both her son and girlfriend for an entire week. She was glad that her fears were unfounded, though she was certain she was going to be subjected to unending hours of Star Trek the Next Generation. They still had over three seasons left.

Once they finished, when they were about to pay, the cashier stopped them. “Isn’t he going to grab his ice cream?”

“I almost forgot,” Moana said.

Olaf’s eyes widened. “I get ice cream?!”

The cashier gestured toward the freezer to their left. “Pick one. It comes with the kids meal.”

Moana paid while Olaf scoured the selection, eventually coming away with an Eskimo bar. “Ohio is awesome!”

Anna patted his shoulder. At least he had his priorities straight.

   

* * *

 

 

After helping bring their bags in, Moana showed Anna and Olaf around her apartment. “It’s nowhere near as big as your place, but I hope you like it.” The kitchen was attached directly to the living room, with a short hall in either direction leading to one of two bedrooms with their own bathrooms. The guest room – Olaf’s bedroom for the duration of their stay – was slightly smaller than the master, but it was barely noticeable. “I set up my old Super Nintendo and N64, in case you didn’t bring anything to play. There’s a bunch of good games there.”

“Awesome!” Olaf dived into the basket of cartridges. “There’s a Star Trek game?”

“There are a bunch.”

His eyes lit up. “I want to play all of them.”

Moana grinned down at him. “I can arrange that.”

He beamed back and wrapped his arms around Moana. “You’re the best step parent ever.”

Anna’s mind suddenly stopped working, her jaw dropping as she tried to formulate any sort of response. She loved Moana, it could happen, but she definitely wasn’t ready to say that sort of thing, let alone for Olaf to be saying it. _At least he didn’t call her ‘Mom.’_

He buried himself in the Super Nintendo game while Moana showed Anna the room they would be sharing. Moana set Anna’s suitcase by the dresser and sat down on the bed, stretching out. “So,” she offered, glancing back toward Olaf’s bedroom.

Anna sighed, throwing herself into the bed beside her girlfriend, groaning into the pillow. This was going to be an awkward conversation. She rolled over, propping her head up to face Moana. “Can we just pretend that didn’t happen?”

Moana bit her lip, her eyes still locked on the wall, as if she could see Olaf through it. She clearly wanted to address the topic that Olaf brought up, but she nodded. _I know lesbians move fast, but we’ve only been dating for like six months. No marriage talk yet, please._ She rested her hand on the small of Anna’s back, leaning against the headboard. “You know, I’ve had this bed for a year and never properly broke it in.”

Anna raised her eyebrow at her. “Oh?” This was a change of subject she could get behind. Especially if Moana had a strap-on.

“Long distance relationships, a hazard of my profession, or maybe just of me. We should fix that.”

“The breaking the bed in or the long distance part?”

Moana flushed, looking away from Anna. _Shit, she really does want to marry me._ “I meant the bed part.” Her fingers ran through Anna’s hair, tugging lightly as one caught in a tangle. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She dragged herself toward Moana, pulling her into a kiss, her own hands sliding up Moana’s back. They were very grateful that the two rooms were on opposite sides of the apartment, but the walls were thin and they did their best to keep it down just in case.

  

* * *

 

  

Anna stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her and another for her hair, and left the bedroom. She thought she’d smelled breakfast, but she didn’t see anything in the kitchen or the living room, but she heard sounds coming from Olaf’s room. She cracked the door open and her heart almost skipped a beat at how cute the sight was. _Maybe we really could be a family._

Olaf sat on the foot of the bed, with Moana’s laptop in his lap. She was leaning over his shoulder showing him how to do something. They were both saying names of various Star Trek related things that Anna was not yet awake enough to process. She recognized the words Ferengi, latinum, and phasers, but everything else just seemed like gibberish. Moana had kept her up far too late.

“Okay, look, the Federation capital is almost undefended,” Moana explained.

“So I should defend it for them?” Olaf asked.

She paused. “I was going to suggest conquering them.”

“Oh.” He held out the note, as realization hit. “What if instead I traded some units to them so that they could defend themselves?”

With a shrug, Moana agreed. “Yeah, I guess we really do need the money anyway. What do the rules of acquisition say about this?”

“That we should make sure their latinum is good before we send them troops?”

Moana smirked, looking proudly down at the young boy. “Something like that. All right, make the trade. I guess the conquering victory can wait for when you’re playing as the Klingons.”

 _My girlfriend is such a nerd._ Anna slipped away, not wanting to interrupt their bonding, or their galactic conquest. _Quadrant conquest?_

She threw on some yoga pants, a sports bra, and a t-shirt. It was Ohio, and she had been informed that this was considered high class by their standards. Back in the kitchen, she scrounged up some pancake mix. There was neither bacon nor eggs in the fridge to go with them, but it would still do. They could go grocery shopping later.

Before she’d even finished, Olaf and Moana were pulled from the guest room by the siren call of freshly made hotcakes. She rolled her eyes and set a plate out for Olaf while she finished making the next batch. “Eat up.”

“Can we watch Star Trek?” Olaf asked.

“I’m the one who hasn’t seen it, let me finish cooking first.”

“Fine.” He pouted, shoveling powdered sugar onto his pancakes. “But when you’re done, we can?”

“Sure.”

She made the next two batches, one for Moana, and one for her, and they all gathered on a fluffy couch that seemed almost unused. The small TV in front of them displayed the voyages of the starship Enterprise on its continuing mission. Olaf leaned forward, his stare intent on the screen, as he studied everything that it was to be a Starfleet officer. “I’m definitely gonna play Federation next game,” he decided, nodding his head sagely.

“Sounds like a plan.” Moana slipped an arm around Anna, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. “You’re the best.”

 _I give her Star Trek and pancakes. Damn right, I am._ “You’re even better.” She turned and planted a chaste kiss on the other woman’s lips, tasting the slight hint of maple syrup. She’d save the more adventurous use of their mouths for later that night.

Three episodes in a row had Anna feeling like her eyes were about to glaze over. Olaf turned to her and asked, “Can I go back to my game now?”

“I was thinking we should buy groceries.”

Moana groaned. “I knew there was something I forgot. Can we wait until dinner? We can get food and buy groceries.”

“What about lunch?”

She checked the time on her phone. “We had breakfast at ten, that counts for lunch too, right?”

Anna wondered how many meals she skipped normally. “Olaf is a growing boy.”

“I can survive off of Star Trek.” He rose from the couch, heading off to his room to try to get a start on his new diet.

She sighed. “Fine, but you’re at least having a snack.” She turned to Moana. “Do you have apples or celery?”

Showing her teeth in an awkward smile, Moana slowly shook her head. “I barely live here. I might have a bag of chips somewhere.”

“Anything healthier than that?”

“Soup?”  
With an exasperated shake of her head she turned back to Olaf. “Are you at all hungry yet?”

He stopped at the bedroom door, dancing, impatient to get back to his game. “No, Mama.”

“Fine, I’ll give you soup and chips in like an hour for lunch.”

He nodded and ran into the room to resume his expansionist goals. Moana stretched out, setting her feet in Anna’s lap. “So, what are we to do with all this free time until we leave?”

Chuckling, Anna let her gaze wonder over the pilot’s lean form, her hands softly sliding down her legs. “You’re insatiable.”

“I just figured I should get it while I can. You’re only here for a week.”  
Anna dug her thumb into a bare foot, and Moana’s breath hitched. “Sex can wait. I can give you a massage now, if that’ll suffice.”

She bit her lip, staring up at her. “You tease.”

Anna rubbed more firmly, her free hand massaging the opposite calf. “How are your muscle so knotted?”

“Easy. I take horrible care of myself, sit in planes for long period of time, and drink lots of caffeine.”

“I don’t think caffeine does that.”

Toying with Anna’s hair, she stuck out her tongue. “Then how do you explain it.”

Anna conceded. She supposed it wasn’t that important. She focused on her massage, starting at Moana’s feet and calves, and working her way up, paying extra attention to her thighs and ass, then her breasts, then her shoulders and neck. Moana actually did scream when she worked a particularly tender spot on her shoulder, her hand flying up to cover the sound. “Jesus, honey.” Anna tried not to laugh.

“I wasn’t expecting it.”

“How were you not expecting it? I’d massaged every other inch of you first.”

She turned back, her eye’s meeting Anna’s with a lascivious look. “Not quite every inch.”  
Anna checked the time. If they were leaving at six then they still had quite a bit of time to kill. “Oh, all right, you needy slut, just let me give Olaf his food first”

Moana giggled. “Look at you. I’ve corrupted you so.”

“Please, you’re like the least corrupting person I know.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Let’s fix that.”

Three hours later, Anna felt no more corrupted, but substantially more exhausted, sweaty, and so very satisfied. She lay a sloppy kiss on her partner, lazily draping an arm over her chest. Perhaps just a short nap, then they could head out for dinner. She’d eaten a lot, but it had only built up an appetite.

After a quick shower, they grabbed Olaf, who had just managed to win his Ferengi campaign and was starting a Federation one, and headed to City Barbecue, which Moana promised had the best ribs in all of Cincinnati. Anna tried to assume that was a compliment.

At the table, Moana handed them paper towels and explained the assortment of sauces. Olaf abstained from sauces, surprising no one, while Anna tried the sweet and Moana mixed the sweet and hot sauces. “Okay, this is actually pretty good,” Anna admitted. The place Esmeralda had shown her a couple weeks before was still better, but this was far better than she’d expected given everything Moana had said about the food selection in her fair city.

Olaf was attempting to tear off a massive chunk with his teeth. He growled, she was not sure if it was in agreement or disagreement.

“I’m glad you like it.” Moana wiped a dab of sauce from Anna’s mouth and finished off her second rib.

Anna giggled, looking at the sauce covering half of her partner’s face. _How? That doesn’t even seem possible._ She dipped the paper towel in her water cup and wiped her face off, giggling lightly. “You’re a dork.”

“I was hungry. Someone helped me work up quite an appetite earlier.”

Anna busied her mouth with her food rather than trying to retort with Olaf’s watchful gaze on them. He had finally managed to make it through his first rib. At least his aversion to sauce made far less of a mess to deal with. By her fourth rib, Moana was on her fifth paper towel.

“You should really try their sauces. They’re really good,” Moana insisted.

Olaf pursed his lips, staring up at her, the meat of the rib still held between his teeth. “No.”

“What would Captain Picard do?” _Is she momming my kid?_

He set the rib down and considered this. “Have the ribs made in a replicator so as not to hurt any pigs?”

She hesitated, her mouth open as she tried to formulate a response. “Okay, he would do that, but not when he was exploring a new place. Think of yourself as on an away mission, exploring the primitive world of Ohio, in disguise so as to avoid violating the Prime Directive. He would at least try to eat the way the locals do, wouldn’t he?”

His eyes narrowing, Olaf stared at the assortment of sauces. “But what would Sisko do?”

“Probably have a new religion formed around him.”

He nodded. “But would he try the ribs?”

“Yes.”

Anna just watched. If Moana could get Olaf to try something new, she wasn’t going to even attempt to jump in. She knew a lot more about Star Trek than she’d ever intended to, but this was more than she could manage. She blinked in disbelief as Olaf hesitantly reached out, his arm shaking, and gripped the sweet sauce hard enough that some shot out of it. He held it out over his rib, his lip trembling as he set a tiny dot of it on the rib. He looked up at his mother and Moana, who both nodded encouragingly as he lifted it up to his mouth and took a tentative bite.

He set it back down, his face an inscrutable mask as he sorted out his feelings. Without a word, he picked the bottle back up and spread sauce over the rest of his ribs. Anna looked to Moana, as she returned to her food, marveling over the feat she’d just accomplished. _Maybe there’s a reason Olaf wants her to be his step mother. She really would be good at it. She’s wonderful for me, and she’s so good with Olaf, maybe even better than his own father, and that was something Kristoff was never bad at. I mean, I don’t want to just jump straight into marrying her, but it is nice to know that if it ever happened that it could be pretty wonderful, and maybe we wouldn’t be long distance anymore, though she’d still not be around a whole lot._ She shook her head, there was plenty of time to figure this out, Moana wasn’t going anywhere. Except all over the country.

She decided to follow Olaf’s adventurous example and try out the hot barbecue sauce. As her eyes watered, she immediately regretted the decision and mixed it with sweet, the same way Moana had, while Moana laughed at her. Anna wiped away the tears and glared at her girlfriend.

“Hey, don’t blame me. I didn’t say to do it.”

Her eyes continued to narrow. “You could’ve warned me.”

“I’m sorry. Does your tongue hurt? Do you need me to kiss it?”

As wonderful as that sounded, it could wait until they were back at her place. “Later.” She tried a bite with the sauce mixture and was pleased to find that it was much more palatable.

When they made it home, a proud Olaf felt that he had earned his place in Starfleet, and a happy Anna had earned all of Moana’s extravagant attentions. Moana was just happy she’d thought to buy chocolate syrup.

 

 

 

 

Anna and Moana cuddled in bed, their limbs entangled and a blanket wrapped around them. Anna’s head rested on her lover’s shoulder, pressing softly against her neck. “We only have one more day together.”

“You make it sound so final,” Moana replied, her fingers twining their way through a tangle of red hair. “We’ll see each other again soon.”

Anna nuzzled in closer. “I know.” Her breath flitted across Moana’s neck, prompting a shiver. “I’m excited to see Elsa.” Her eyes widened, she hadn’t thought of Elsa in days, and the images the name brought to mind made her stomach do cartwheels. She had been so focused on Moana, that all other thoughts had vanished, but she still was going to spend a month with a woman she was madly in love with, and who she couldn’t be with, for so many reasons.

“Yeah?” Moana asked, urging her to continue. “Was that the whole thought?”

“Oh, sorry.” She shook her head to clear her mind, dragging Moana’s hand with her. The other hand gripped her shoulder, holding her in place. “My mind wandered. I’m excited to see her, but I’m really gonna miss you.”

“That was the important part, I’d say.” Anna could feel her smile as Moana kissed the top of her head, sniffling as a stray hair caught in her nose. “It’ll be okay. We can call every night.”

Anna flushed. “I’m not doing that at my sister’s house!”

“That’s not what I meant, though now that you mention it, I certainly wouldn’t mind.” She yanked her hand free and cupped Anna’s ass, shifting their position so Anna was all but straddling her and they could look into each other’s eyes. “We’ll talk a whole bunch. You don’t have to worry. I’ll be with you the whole time.”

“You’re so corny.”

“I can be cornier. My fair red haired maiden, whose beauty knows no equal. I promise, my love for you shall never end, and I shall be by your side as you journey onward.” Her brown eyes smoldered as she looked up at Anna, her hands on the small of her back.

Anna’s heart skipped a bit. Moana had certainly been romantic before, but no one had talked to her like that since Kristoff back in high school. “Well then, as your fair maiden, I do pledge to be true, and to write every day until I’m back in your arms.”

Their lips melded together, their arms wrapping around each other. For once, it didn’t fall into sex, they just needed to feel each other’s presence. “Well if this is what we’re going with, maybe we should get you a chastity belt,” Moana teased with a wink when they pulled apart several minutes later.”

“I take back everything.”

Moana pouted at her, looking up pitifully, her lower lip extended as she quivered. “But Anna~,” she whined.

“No chastity belt.”

“But I’ve always wanted to be someone’s knight.”

She sighed, pulling herself up into a sitting position. “You are such a dork.”

“I’m aware.”

She kissed her girlfriend’s cheek. “Well, my gallant, wonderful, sexy, strong, heroic knight, whatever shall we do with our remaining time together?”

Moana met her eyes. “Yeah, I really like that.” Her eyes almost twinkled as she smiled up at Anna. “I have a few ideas.”

So the three of them hung out on the couch, watched Star Trek, and had pizza delivered. Anna couldn’t have asked for a better last full day with her girlfriend.

  

* * *

 

 

 Moana clung tightly to Anna as they waited for Anna’s plane. Moana was in her uniform, as she had a flight just after Anna’s. Anna had actually never seen her in it, and it was very, incredibly, extraordinarily flattering. It’d taken her quite a while until she could stop drooling over her long enough to have a conversation. The girl could rock a suit. The hat didn’t hurt either.

“I don’t want to go either,” Anna said, echoing Moana’s silent plea, and ignoring the part of her that did so badly want to see Elsa. “I can’t wait until I can see you again.”

“I was hoping I’d be in New York at some point while you were there, but it looks like I won't be, well other than a one hour layover.”

It probably wasn’t worth it to try to see each other for that, no matter how badly either of them wanted to. “When will you be able to visit?”

She smiled at Anna, looking like she actually had good news there. “It’ll just be a little over a week after you get back, I’ll be there the next weekend, and I made sure I had that whole weekend in town.”

“That’ll be wonderful.”

“Yeah it will.” She pulled back, looking over Anna, looking like she was trying to memorize every inch of her. “I’ll see you then, and we’ll talk every day, right?”

She nodded. “Of course, honey. I promise.”

“Okay.” Letting out a shaky breath, she nodded. “Sorry, I suck at goodbyes.”

With a chuckle, Anna stared at her. “You say goodbye all the time.”

“Well I suck at this goodbye.”

She kissed Moana’s cheek, her fingers folding between hers. “It won’t be any worse than usual, we go over a month without seeing each other all the time. I know it hurts, but it won’t be that long.”

“I know. It’s just tougher every time. It’s like I’m in love with you or something.”

“I love you too.” She leaned her head against her girlfriend’s shoulder. It was going to be difficult, especially with the distraction she was going to have around her at all times, but they’d manage. She pulled her phone out and sent an ‘I love you,’ to Moana, while still leaning against her. It was best to start early.

Moana looked down at her pocket, where her phone vibrated, then back to Anna, leaning forward so Anna could see her eyes, raising an eyebrow in question.

“So you’ll have something from me the second I walk on the plane.”

“That’s adorable.”

“Were you not going to make sure I had a message to read when I landed?”

“Oh, I was going to have a naked picture for that.”

Anna’s eyes widened. She was glad that Olaf was sitting at the window, watching the plane come in. She did her best to hide her reddening cheeks by burying her face against Moana’s neck and planting a wet kiss there. “I’m looking forward to that.”

“I know you are. I’ll see you soon, honey.”

The PA announced that the flight was boarding with scarily good timing. She was in the second boarding group, so she didn’t have to go just yet, but it meant their separation was growing ever closer. “Anything you want to say before I leave?”

“Oh damsel most fair?” she offered.

Anna nodded against her. It was a good start.

“You have my sword.”

She sighed, the breath tickling Moana’s neck. She pulled back, offering a playful laugh. “That’s what you’re going with?”

“I’ll send better in a text message. I can’t be getting too mushy in uniform.”

The wet spots from both of their tears suggested otherwise. “All right, well then I guess I’ll wait until I see that.”

They leaned back against each other, keeping an eye on Olaf as he marveled at another plane’s departure. Anna was going to miss her scent, it had a certain earthy quality that was very comforting.

By the time they boarded, Anna and Moana had kissed each other goodbye at least a dozen times. Anna’s phone chimed as she was trying to navigate around someone to make her way to their seats. She had the center with the window seat for Olaf. She didn’t like the idea of him sitting next to someone she didn’t know if she could avoid it.

She took out her phone to see the message. It was so corny she almost threw the phone away lest someone else see it. ‘My dearest beloved, though you depart now, know that I love thee with all of my heart. You shall remain in my thoughts, until we meet again, and forever more after that. I am yours, body and soul. All my love, your knight, Moana.’

She hid the screen, her cheeks coloring again, as she turned her gaze to the window, which Olaf was pressing his face against to see the bags being loaded. The phone chimed again and she picked it back up. ‘I have to head to my flight. Stay safe, let me know when you land. I’ll talk to you soon. XOXO’

Before Anna could reply, a flight attendant came by to tell her to put her phone in airplane mode. Moana had taught her that that was complete bullshit, but she just sent out a quick ‘I will, I love you, stay safe too,’ and did as she was told. She believed her girlfriend, she just didn’t want to risk it.


	39. Elsa - Perfect for Each Other

Tiana sat across from Elsa, wearing a light grey suit, offering a warm smile as they looked over the menu. She’d been doing her best to cheer Elsa up after the latest tragedy, she even brought her lunch when her and Gaston were helping out an indigent client who was still trying to figure out what their scam was. Elsa was starting to feel a little better, but it had been a rough couple of weeks. She hated how much her cases had been getting to her of late, but turning your feelings back off was so much more difficult than turning them on.

As much as Tiana had enjoyed the last steakhouse they went to, and Elsa had to admit it had been quite good, Elsa was relieved that Tiana had decided to take her to the far safer Peter Luger. The brisket the previous time had certainly been as quality as its name, but the creamed spinach hush puppies were a little concerning, and she just wanted a good ribeye. _Wow we’ve been going to a lot of steakhouses the last couple months. Did she get tired of trying to cheer me up with pizza?_

Tiana shrugged off her jacket, draping it over the chair. “Let me guess what you’re getting.”

Elsa shrugged. Ribeye was good.She’d get the fillet occasionally, but she wanted something bigger. She’d earned it -- she’d managed to finish every single case she had, save for a single court appearance in a couple weeks, and even settled a number of pro bono cases. She would only have to go into the office for the fourth of July party, barring any emergencies.

Tiana sighed. “You’re no fun. Fine, enjoy your ribeye, I think I’m going to try their,” she paused, her tongue poking out the slightest bit as she looked over the menu. “lamb chops.”

“I’m still getting the ribeye, you talked me into their porterhouse last time, and it was amazing, but I want ribeye.”

“Fine. Don’t be adventurous.” She gave Elsa a haughty look.

“There’s like ten things on the menu, there’s not much room to be adventurous.” _Not that I wouldn’t get the ribeye anyway. I want ribeye._

“I know, I’m just giving you a hard time.” Her eyes crinkled in a smile as she set the menu down and took a sip of her wine. “We haven’t been here in years, have we?”

Elsa pursed her lips, trying to think of the last time they’d come. “I think it was actually with Anya and her last girlfriend, back when we were friends previously. Wow, it has been a while.”

“How many women has she gone through while we’ve been together?”

“I think just two.”

Tiana’s eyes narrowed as she stared off, trying to think of any evidence to the contrary. “You’re right. It felt like more.”

Their waitress arrived, and they both placed their order, along with shrimp cocktails as an appetizer. Elsa had resisted suggesting that they add the lamb chop appetizer to Tiana’s lamb chop meal.

“If my father could see me now.” Tiana chuckled. “I don’t think he’d believe it.”

“Why’s that?” Elsa asked, leaning back. Of course, as soon as she said it, she knew full well why that was. Tiana didn’t mention her father much, save for that one terrifying time where she’d implied she wanted to marry her, but she knew that Tiana had grown up poor. She decided to just let Tiana answer rather than try to take it back.

“Oh, you know. I’ve just come a long way. Living off of the same pot of gumbo for most of a week was nice and all, but it’s very different from going to five-star restaurants just because I felt like going out that night. He always wanted me to pursue my dream, I just don’t think he ever expected it to go quite this far. He thought I might end up as a chef at the restaurant I was waiting tables at, that seemed believable to him, maybe even opening up my own restaurant like he and I had always wanted to do together, but certainly not the life I have.” She took another sip, raising her eyes to meet Elsa’s. “Think he’d be proud of me?”

“I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who wouldn’t be, honey.”

She smirked, nodding her head slightly. “I suppose I can’t argue with that. I am kinda famous. Did you know you’re on a date with a celebrity?”

Elsa placed her hand over her chest, her jaw dropping, “I had no idea. I’ll just have to get your autograph. Where do you want to sign?” It wasn’t the first time they’d done this. Tiana’s celebrity status was occasionally still novel, it had only been the case for around three years.

“Everywhere.” Her eyes trailed down Elsa’s body, including bits that were hidden by the table – and clothes. “I might have to use my tongue though, my pen’s out of ink.”

“I’m pretty sure I could get you a new pen.”

She shakes her head. “I’m afraid not. It was the last pen in the world.”

“I don’t think they’ll let you sign the check here with your tongue.”

“Honestly, they might.”

Elsa floundered, losing her pace in their game. Tiana had a point. Even world famous restaurants were typically willing to bend over backward for Tiana. She was generally agreed to be the best chef in the world, by all but a few particularly grumpy – and Elsa had her suspicions, bigoted – journalists. “Fine, you can just sign everything with your tongue, and then you’ll be too worn out tonight.”

“Oh, I always have the energy for you.” Her grin grew lascivious.

Elsa buttered a slice of bread, taking a bite before she resumed flirting. She was famished. “Well, save it for after dinner.”

“You’re no fun.”

“I’m lots of fun.”

Tiana paused, grabbing her own slice of bread. “I suppose you are. I guess there are a few reasons I love you.”

 _And what might those be? We sure don’t seem to have the same goals anymore._ “Oh, do tell.” She nervously tugged at the hem of her skirt. She’d been having so many doubts since Tiana brought up marriage and kids. She loved Tiana, she could happily spend her life with her, but Tiana needed to at least be around for it, even before they got into any of those issues. Squeezing her eyes shut, Elsa forced away those thoughts. She loved Tiana. She wasn’t going to throw that away just because she was getting cold feet.

Tiana bit into the bread with a satisfying crunch, smirking at her. “Elsa, there’s a million reasons I love you. I don’t even know who I’d be without you. You’ve helped me so much, and you made me realize all of the things that I could do. You’re the only person I know who’s as obsessed with work as I am, and you’ve been making just as much progress.” _I wish I was still as obsessed as you are. It’d make you being away all the time a lot easier._ “When I think of my future, I can’t imagine it without you.” Her hand fell to her side and she hesitated, staring into Elsa’s eyes. Before she could say whatever she was thinking, however, something else seemed to pop into her mind, her expression shifted, and she looked guilty. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said a few months ago, I doubt you even remember at this point, about not being ready for kids yet, and you’re right, I shouldn’t have pushed you like that, neither of us have the time for it.”

Elsa blinked. Tiana wasn’t exactly one for self-reflection most of the time. She was always looking forward. “Really?”

“I know I thought that since you’re a partner, you could just take time off to look after them, and,” she hesitated, her voice sounding pained, “That was selfish. I want it, but we can wait. I mean, I feel silly bringing this up out of nowhere. I’m sorry, let’s forget it and just have a nice dinner. I love you, Elsa.”

Elsa swallowed, staring at the woman she loved. She wasn’t sure how to handle this. It wasn’t like she’d been planning on leaving Tiana, but that had given her a scare. It was clear that Tiana still wanted kids, and Elsa wasn’t sure that she ever would. Hell, she wasn’t even ready to get married yet, and Tiana seemed to still very much be there, but it was still massive progress. “Thank you. I love you too.”

Their shrimp cocktail was brought out, and they fell back into a comfortable conversation. Knowing that Tiana had actually been thinking about things, rather than just assuming that Elsa would go along with her, lightened a load that Elsa hadn’t even known she was carrying. It did more for her than even the pro bono work she’d been doing. She dunked a shrimp into the cocktail sauce and ate it in a single bite. “Any idea how long you’ll be here when Anna’s here?” She knew they’d discussed it before, but she had the worst memory for Tiana’s trips. She just tended to assume that she wouldn’t be around, and was usually right.

“I thought I told you.” She pulled out her phone out to double check. “I leave four days after she gets here, on the fifth, but I’ll be back just a week later. I just have to interview a replacement chef for my New Orleans restaurant.

“Oh.” She found herself grinning. She was more than a little relieved, she’d expected Tiana to be gone almost the entire time. That relief partially fell away when she realized that she’d have to put up even more with her trying to talk Anna into having a threesome with them. _Despite some of the weird thoughts Anya put into my head, I am definitely not up for that. It’s just creepy._ She forced herself to focus on her date. “That’s great. I was worried I wouldn’t see you much.”

Tiana’s hand flew out, gripping hers, pain clear in her eyes. “Honey, no, of course you’ll see me. I’m not gone that much. Besides, how could I resist seeing your beautiful sister.”

 _There we go. So that’s what’s keeping her in town._ “Right.”

“Elsa?” She squeezed again, softer this time, less frantic, but just as concerned. “I’m just joking.”

 _She’d already said she wasn’t._ “I know. Just try to keep it in your pants, okay?”

She narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening for a moment. “But we’re going to celebrate her birthday, it just seems like we should give her something she can’t find anywhere else.”

Elsa ignored her, her attention focused on the shrimp.

“I’ll behave. It’s not like I’d do anything without your blessing anyway.”

“Okay.” _I knew what I was getting into. She tried to drag another girl home with us on our fourth date._

Her foot nudged Elsa’s calf. “Elsa, please, I was just playing around. Anna’s already made it clear that she doesn’t want that. I’m not gonna do anything more.”

Dabbing at her mouth with a napkin, Elsa finally turned her attention back to Tiana. “All right. I believe you.”

“Are we really buying her a car?”

“It’s less than a week of our income to buy her something nice and reliable. I don’t want her to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no way to fix it, again. Who knows how long it’ll hold together this time. I’d feel much more comfortable with her driving something I know I can trust.” Elsa squeezed the napkin in her lap. It had been a few months, but the incident had burned itself into her memory. Anna was barely getting by, she needed to do what she could to help out. This was something reasonable and practical. She just wanted to wait until Anna was there before she told her about it. That way she couldn’t make up an excuse and end the call, she’d be trapped for a month until she gave in and accepted the extravagant gesture.

“It’s just a bit much for a gift.”

“You bought me a ten thousand dollar necklace last year.”

“Well yeah,” Tiana scoffed, nervously glancing down. “It was really pretty. Just like you.”

“I’m just saying, we can buy nice things for the people we love.”

“All right. Why don’t we just pay for her mortgage then?”

Elsa glared at her. Portland was expensive, a few hundred thousand was actually a bit much to spend on a present, even for them. “I want to have something physical to give her.”

“Paperwork is physical.”

“I do like paperwork.”

“I know you do. Oh, speaking of, would you mind looking over this lease for a restaurant I’m buying out in Hawaii? I think the old owner was a lawyer because I can’t make heads or tails of it.”

That sufficiently distracted her from their old issue. She preferred court, but Elsa just loved the law. “Yeah, I can do that. You do realize I’m your lawyer, right?”

“But I don’t want to bring you on for this purchase, it’s just a minor thing.”

Chuckling lightly, Elsa shook her head. “Fine, you can just be under the desk while I do it then.”

“I’m not sure that will result in your best work, but it is a pretty enjoyable compromise. All right, you have yourself a deal.” She held her hand out to Elsa.

Elsa shook the proffered hand. “Not going to sign with your tongue?”

“That’s for later.”

The waitress returned, holding a heavy platter of their substantial portions. Elsa’s mouth watered when she beheld the ribeye. She’d probably had a little too much steak the last few months, but this one looked particularly amazing. She inhaled its aroma, the seasoning mixing perfectly with the natural flavor of the meat.

Tiana seemed to be almost orgasmic over her lamb. Food always seemed to do it for her. Elsa sometimes wondered if it was more of a fetish than just professional curiosity. “It looks heavenly,” Tiana moaned.

 _I think it’s a fetish. Maybe that’s why she’s such a good chef. She literally gets off on it._ Tiana could spend all the time she wanted marveling over the culinary marvel of their food, but Elsa was hungry. She forked a heaping bite into her mouth. It almost melted on her tongue. _This is a damn good ribeye._

Tiana let out a satisfied moan as she tasted the lamb chop. “I forgot how much I love this place. I wonder who their butcher is. I think my marinade beats their seasoning, but this is just the perfect cut of meat. How’s yours?”

“Great.” Even after all this time, Elsa was still no gourmet.

“I’m glad. Can I have a bite?”

“Like you weren’t going to anyway.”

An eager grin spread across her face as she seized a portion of Elsa’s beef, savoring the flavor on her tongue. She didn’t moan this time, but Elsa had seen similar expressions in more intimate moments. “Their porterhouse is better, seasoning is perfect, and the cut is great, but I think my ribeye is better.”

“Then make ribeye when Anna’s here. I have been craving it constantly of late. You could make it every day for a week and I’d be okay.” _Well, maybe the seventh time would be a bit old, but the way Tiana cooks I’m sure she’d manage to keep it fresh each time._

“Not every day, but I just might. That reminds me, I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow, we’re starting to run low on a few things.”

Elsa couldn’t recall the last time she had needed to go grocery shopping herself. Tiana had every supply she could ever need shipped to their house regularly. It was a little scary how their cupboards seemed to always remain exactly as full no matter what she did. “You’re not just gonna have someone pick them up?”

“I don’t trust anyone with this. I need to go to my butcher and find the perfect cut for your sister.”

“Tiana,” Elsa growled.

“For her birthday dinner, Elsa. That’s all, I promise.”

“Of course.” Elsa leaned back in her seat, doing her best to make the ribeye las. She wanted to taste it, maybe not quite to the degree Tiana would, but to actually savor each bite and each individual flavor. Maybe she could understand Tiana a bit better that way, but more importantly, it would mean that the steak wouldn’t just suddenly be gone when she wanted another bite.

“Honey, I’m serious.” She shoved a piece of lamb onto Elsa’s plate. “I said I’d stop it; that just came out wrong. I don’t want to be with anyone else.”

That was a bit hard to believe. Elsa quirked an eyebrow at her. “Really?”

Tiana stared up at the ceiling. Elsa could swear she saw a tear in her eye. “Am I really that bad? Fuck, Elsa.” She sighed, placing her head in her hands and taking a couple deep breaths before leaning back against her chair. “For years I didn’t want to make any time for a relationship. I’d flirt, occasionally have flings, but that was it.”

“I know,” she muttered.

“I know you know, I’m getting to something. Work was all that mattered to me, but, you know, sometimes I’d want some company, so I became a pretty excessive flirt because that’s all it was to me. Then I met you. For the first time in so incredibly long, I met someone who actually made me care about something that wasn’t work. I didn’t have that many friends growing up, and my father was always working, but he was doing it to help me save up, and to look after me because we both knew that I had a dream that I wanted to accomplish, so that was it for me. My whole life, I was just focused on that one thing. Then I saw you. I’d had attempts at relationships before, but none of them could handle my drive, my long hours, or that they’d always be second fiddle to my real passion. Not only were you able to handle it all, but, I found that you weren’t second fiddle, you were absolutely the lead violinist. Maybe you were tied sometimes, I know I acted like it, but I care about you –” she hesitated, trying to force the words out. This was clearly difficult for her. “More than I care about my business.”

Elsa found tears welling up in her own eyes. _Now I feel awful for just how much I have been resenting her absence._ “You’d never told me all that.”

“Flirting’s a lot easier. I joke, I play, I flirt, and all of my other energy goes into work. You’ve put up with that for a long time. No one has ever meant to me what you mean to me, Elsa. I love you, with every fiber of my being.” Her gaze fell back to her lap and she sniffled, rubbing at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I promise I’ll stop.”

Elsa choked back a sob, reaching her hand across the table. “I’m sorry.”

Her head flew back up, her eyes wide. “No, you don’t have to be sorry for anything. I’m the one who’s been a complete ass.” She reached for Elsa’s hand, gripping it tightly, clinging on desperately. “Please say you can forgive me. I promise I’ll stop completely, not just Anna, everyone.”

“Even Anya?”

“I mean it, Elsa. I’m just not good at being all romantic. I’m trying here because you’re absolutely worth it and you deserve it.” She shuddered, trying to blink away newly formed tears.”

Elsa interlaced her fingers with Tiana’s. “Okay. I believe you. Thank you.”

Chewing on her lip, Tiana’s gaze fell back to her food. “Why do you put up with me?”

“Well, you make really good food.”

She snickered, a smile starting to form.

“And you’re great in bed.”

“I am, aren’t I?”

Elsa smiled back, bringing Tiana’s hand to her lips. “So, now that we’ve gotten all emotional, I’m gonna eat my steak before it gets cold.”

“That is completely fair.” Reluctantly taking her hand back, Tiana shoved a few more

bites worth of lamb onto Elsa’s plate. _Wow, she must really love me._ “The lamb’s really good too.”

“Isn’t it always?” She took a bite. It was absolutely amazing. Her ribeye was still better, but just barely. She swore she’d had it before, but she didn’t remember it being this delicious. “Okay, this is damn good.”

“Right? I think they may have adjusted the recipe a bit, or maybe it’s just their butcher. I seriously want to find him, he’s perfect.”

“You are obsessed.”

“With you. And also with cooking, I can admit that.”

Elsa smiled down at her steak, guiding a nice crisp corner piece to her mouth. W _e really are perfect for each other. We’re both terrible at intimacy and completely addicted to our jobs to a point that has to be well past unhealthy. Maybe now that I really understand how much she cares I can handle her absence better. Maybe it won’t get to me as much._

“Are you two ladies going to want dessert?” The waitress asked, stirring Elsa from her thoughts.

“Yeah, we’ll get the pecan pie,” Elsa replied before Tiana had a chance to answer. She knew that her girlfriend could never resist some good comfort food. Tiana’s grin showed her that she’d ordered perfectly.

“Also, are you Tiana Rose?” _Oh great._

The smirk turning into a knowing smile, Tiana nodded. “I am.”

“I’m such a huge fan. You gave me the courage to come out to my parents, and to pursue my dreams. Do you think there’s any way I could get your autograph?”

 _Now just watch her try to invite her home. Just because I agreed to it one time._ “Sure. I’m glad I could be a good influence, that’s always the goal.” _Well, that was professional._

“Thank you.” She held out her notepad.

“What’s your name?”

“Tania. I know, it’s kinda close to yours.” She blushed, hugging herself, as her gaze turned downward. _She definitely has a crush._

“Tania, always follow your dreams, your friend, Tiana.”

Elsa blinked. That was a hell of a lot more wholesome than Tiana’s autographs to gay girls tended to be. If they weren’t leaving red-faced, then Tiana didn’t seem to see the point in it.

“Thank you so much. I’ll tell them it’s your birthday so the dessert will be free.” She ran off to put the order in.

Tiana shoved the last of her lamb into her mouth before staring at Elsa. She swallowed and set the fork down, quirking her head slightly. “Yes? You’ve been staring at me since she showed up.”

Elsa shook her head. Tiana really was willing to change. “I love you.”

Giggling, Tiana’s foot brushed against Elsa’s thigh. “I love you too.”

After a birthday song accompanied by some clapping, they were given a massive slice of pecan pie with a heaping helping of some house-made whip cream. The pair made quick work of the dessert. “I hadn’t had their pecan pie before,” Tiana mused. “It’s really good.”

“Oh, so you liked it? I thought there must have been a reason you almost ate my hand when I grabbed a bite.”

“There was whip cream on your hand. It looked delicious.”

“Oh, we have some whip cream at home, anything else you’d like to lick it off of?” Elsa smirked, the thought of her girlfriend’s tongue dragging along her sending some very pleasant images, as well as a warm feeling flowing down from her stomach. She’d had a pretty big dinner, it’d be a shame not to get a workout in.

“Sounds like heaven.”

The second Elsa started to look around for her, Tania brought them their check. “Looks like you liked the pie.”

“We did,” Tiana agreed, smiling chastely at her.

“Well, I’m glad.”

Elsa reached for the check, but Tiana immediately snatched it, placing a hundred dollar bill in it. “Let’s get out of here,” she suggested, as soon as the waitress walked away. Her eyes exploring her body was all the urging Elsa needed.

They sat in traffic for a while, listening to a jazz musician that Tiana had been considering for one of her establishments. It wasn’t common, but he’d volunteered, and Tiana had been curious about him. The music was good enough that by the time they arrived back home, they’d both agreed that he was worth the fairly minimal paycheck he’d require.

Walking into the kitchen, Elsa assumed to grab that whip cream, Tiana stopped dead, her back turned to Elsa as her hand dropped to her pocket. “I’d been meaning to do this at dinner, it just never really seemed like the right time.”

“Oh?” Elsa asked, leaning against their island. “What is it?”

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while. I love you, Elsa.”

 _Oh._ Elsa swallowed. _She didn’t mean – did she? I know we’ve been together for five years, and I guess I don’t really see that ever stopping. I love her so much, but this? Do we really still even want the same things? She wants kids, I don’t, she wants to keep focusing all of her energy on work, I want us to make more time for each other._

Tiana took in a shaky breath, turning around, not quite able to meet Elsa’s eyes. “Being with you has made me the luckiest woman in the world. I love you more than I ever could have imagined, Elsa.”

“I love you too, Tiana.” _She is doing it. Do I really want this? Does she even really want this? I know she thinks it’s time to settle down and raise a family, but that’s not the same. She said earlier that she thinks we should wait on kids, but I don’t think I’ll ever come around on that._

Her eyes finally met Elsa’s, and Tiana knelt down on one knee before her. _Yep, this is happening._ Her hand emerged from her pocket, holding a small box. “You’re my everything, Elsa. I’ve made my every other dream come true; please make this last one real for me too. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” She opened the box, revealing an exquisite diamond adorning a minimalist steel ring. “Will you marry me?”

Elsa froze, her thoughts abandoning her. She found herself tearing up. As much as she’d always told herself that she wasn’t the marrying type, that this wasn’t what she wanted, in the moment, seeing the woman she loved there, asking that one question, all she could think about was how wonderful it all sounded, how badly she really did want to be with her forever. “Yes.”


	40. Anna - Think of Moana

The plane’s wheels bounced against the ground, coming into a bumpy landing and jostling Anna awake. It hadn’t been a terribly long flight, but Moana had not given her much time to sleep the previous night. They’d needed to properly say their goodbyes.

She checked on Olaf, to make sure he wasn’t too disturbed by the landing, but he was still staring out the window. “So this is New York,” he mused.

_I wonder if he said anything when he actually got to see it beneath us._ “Yep.” She rolled her shoulders, stretching and yawning. “You excited?”  
“Of course! I haven’t seen my sensei in ages.”

“That the only reason?”

An innocent unreadable expression blanketed his face. It promptly broke. “Why, did she say she was getting me a present?”

Anna rolled her eyes. “No idea.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent a quick message telling Moana that she’d landed, her cheeks coloring slightly when she saw the adorable message she’d been sent before take off.

When it didn’t send, she realized that it was still in airplane mode and corrected that. It immediately chimed three times. There was a message from Moana and two from Elsa. As she was already looking at her conversation with Moana, she checked that one first. ‘Just about to take off, couldn’t resist sending one more message. I love you, honey. It was so amazing having you here this past week. Stay safe and have fun in New York, okay? Go see a few plays.’

She tapped out a message saying that she loved her too, as she hadn’t included it in her last message and then checked the two from Elsa. ‘Saw that your flight is supposed to be early, I’ll try to get there in time’ was followed by “I’m there, at departures, less traffic.” She wasn’t sure what she was expecting. It wasn’t like she’d wanted a message anything like her prior one from Moana. _Right? I wouldn’t. That would be ridiculous._ Shaking her head, she undid her seatbelt and waited for the person to her right to get up. She was not falling down this rabbit hole again – she had something special with Moana and there was no way she was going to ruin it like that.

After what felt like an eternity, she and Olaf were finally able to stand up and grab their suitcases – which was to say that she grabbed the suitcases and handed the small one to Olaf. They filed out and made their way through the airport. Olaf seemed very determined on dragging her to another cafe, but she wasn’t going to fall for that again. They could grab food with Elsa.

She found the shiny BMW waiting for her, with her sister in the driver’s seat, beaming back at her. Anna’s heart skipped a beat. _No. No no no no no. I’m over this!_ Turning her gaze to the concrete, she rushed Olaf along toward the car, trying not to meet those ice-blue eyes that could take her breath away. _Think of Moana. She’s amazing._ She let out a shaky breath, her mind focused on the woman she loved – the woman she was allowed to love – her girlfriend. _That’s it. Just her. Nothing else._ Another breath and she felt arms wrap around her.

“I’ve missed you.” Elsa’s breath burned against her neck, or perhaps it was just her neck burning. She seemed to be quite warm all over. _Moana._ Suddenly, Elsa’s face was mere inches from her, those eyes staring into her own. She’d barely have to move an inch to kiss her. “Did you have a good flight?”

“Flight?” She blinked, trying to process what was going on. _Right. Flight._ “Yeah, it was great. I slept the whole way, so maybe you should ask Olaf.”

“New York is so big!” he squealed. “I thought we were gonna land way earlier, but it just kept going.”

Anna wanted to clutch her as Elsa broke away, turning toward her son and ruffling his hair. “It’s a pretty awesome city. Want me to give you the tour? It may take a while, traffic is a b–” she caught herself, “ad. Traffic is bad.”

Managing to collect herself a bit, Anna smirked at her sister. “Nice catch,” she whispered.

The look of chagrin was too adorable and put Anna right back where she’d been. “You hungry?”

_More thirsty, apparently._ “I’m famished. Know someplace good?”

“You honestly don’t think Tiana would kill me if I grabbed you food before you saw her?”  
“Oh. I thought maybe she was out of town.” _Or maybe I just hoped that._

“Nope, just in the kitchen getting food ready for you two. Sometimes I swear I have a housewife.”

_No, this is good. There’s no way I could do anything too dumb with her here. I’ll be fine._ “Sounds great. I could never say no to her cooking.” She helped Elsa toss the bags in the back, and assisted Olaf into his booster seat. It had taken so much convincing to get him to stop complaining when she’d brought it with them. He was convinced that he was big enough to manage on his own.

They made their way through traffic and it was exactly as bad as every comedian had ever described it. Anna knew that she’d been to New York before, but she didn’t remember a thing about driving there personally. Maybe they’d always taken a taxi, she couldn’t be sure. She was paying a lot of attention to it now, anything to avoid looking at her sister.

“I take it you had fun with Moana?” Elsa asked with a giggle.

“Hm?” She turned to her before immediately thinking better. _Coming here was a terrible idea._ “Yeah, it was great. I definitely wouldn’t want to live in Ohio, but we had a lot of fun. It was really great getting to spend so much time with my girlfriend.” She emphasized the last word, trying to remind herself of its reality. “Olaf seemed to like it too. He gets along with her really well.” _I have a future with her. She’s perfect._ “We mostly just watched Star Trek.”

“Huh.”

“What?”

“I know you mentioned watching it with her before, it just sounds like you’re getting really into it. I know personally, I would’ve had better things to do.” In her peripheral vision, Anna could see her winking at her.

“It’s a really good show.”  
“That’s what you said when Kristoff made you watch a few episodes.”

“He made me watch season one.”

“And where did you start with Moana?”

_Did I tell her that? Damn it._ “Season one,” she grumbled.

“Right.”

“She just did a much better job selling it! All he ever said was how great Q and Picard are, and I mean yeah, they’re great, but that’s not how you sell something.”   
“Isn’t he an actual salesman?”

Her eyes narrowed as she turned to Elsa. “Yes.”

“I think it might just be that Moana was that much more fun to cuddle with.”

“Maybe.”

She smirked at her before turning back to the road. Anna wasn’t quite sure why, it wasn’t like they’d gone more than a couple feet over the course of the conversation. She could just wait. “Sounds like you’re in love.”

“I am. Absurdly so.”

“Aww, Trekkies in love, and not even at a con. My little girl’s growing up.” She wiped at an imaginary tear and received a nudge on the shoulder from Anna.

“Shut up.” _This is better. This is sisterly, affectionate, playful. Not incestuous._

“It’s adorable.”

She muttered, “Thanks,” doing her best to play up her offense at her sister’s teasing. _This is exactly the way sisters are supposed to tease each other, not –_ she shook her head. “Like you wouldn’t watch some nerdy show for Tiana.”

“I already have to watch her cooking shows, I think I’d die if she tried to make me watch Star Trek.”

“It’s actually really good!” Glowering at Elsa, she did her best not to appreciate the way the silk dress clung to her.

“Are you gonna make me watch it with you?”

With another grumble, she stared back out the window. “Maybe.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Do you want to watch it with us, sensei?” Olaf asked from the back, tearing his gaze away from whatever he’d been staring at.

“Now that’s just not fair.” She slammed on the break as the car in front of them stopped suddenly to swerve into another lane, narrowly missing an alley wall.

“That’s interesting,” Anna mused. _How has she not died yet driving here? Also, really, she’d watch it for Olaf? No, that’s fine, he’s my son, we’re not competing for her love. She’s a good aunt. Who the hell drives like that?_

“Can we go get pizza?” Olaf asked, pointing madly at a nearby bakery/pizza shop. “Pleeeeease?”

“If you want to be the one to tell Tiana that we missed her dinner to grab reheated slices of pizza, then be my guest. Maybe she won’t be mad at a kid.”

Pouting, he threw himself against the back of his seat. “Tomorrow?”

“Probably.”

“Yay!” The pout vanished from his face, replaced by a toothy grin as he beamed toward the driver. “Thank you, Aunt Elsa.”

She shrugged and took a turn onto another road.

Anna watched the city lazily drift by. It was a far cry from Portland or San Francisco. “How did you manage to get used to this place? It’s so claustrophobic.”   
“You said the same thing last time.”

“Well then give the same answer! I don’t remember.”  
Chuckling lightly as she flicked the turn signal, Elsa replied, “It took some work. Especially when I first moved here. My apartment was tiny as hell. You at least remember that, right?”

She did. Elsa had taken the couch while she and Kristoff had her bed, as there simply wasn’t enough room for any other configuration. _I could’ve shared the bed with her._ “Was your bathroom in your kitchen?”

“It was not. It was almost too small to turn around in, but it was decidedly its own room.”

“I’m gonna continue imagining it as in the kitchen.”

“Go right ahead.”

“So the new place is bigger?”

“It is. It’s not at all near the office, so that sucks, but we got a house out in Queens.”

“Right, I knew that.” She had Elsa’s address, it was not an impressive bit of knowledge, but she was glad to at least have something to ground her in this conversation. “So that helped you get adjusted?”

“I was already adjusted by then. It took some getting used to actually having leg room again. I just spent all my time at the office. I barely had time to drop by that little apartment Anastasia and I had when I was working sixty to eighty hour weeks.”

“I would die.”

She shook her head. “I loved it. I still work more than I should, though I definitely would have trouble doing eighty hour weeks at this point, but it was amazing. I just got to throw myself into my work and really get to learn so much. It was what I’d been dreaming of my whole life and I had it. Now I just make Mia do that.”

“Who’s Anastasia? Who’s Mia? I need context here, Elsa.” _Another ex? I think she mentioned her once last year. I still can’t believe she went that whole time hiding all of this from me. So she’d been sharing that apartment with another woman when I visited before._ “Where was Anastasia when I visited if you were sharing that apartment together?” _Heh, Anastasia. Tiana. Me. She has a type name wise. Wait, drop that. Besides, Elizabeth doesn’t have ‘Anna’ in her name at all._

“She and I had just broken up a little while before you visited. I’d actually been planning on coming out to you then. I just kind of chickened out after that happened.”

“Where would we have slept then?”  
“I didn’t say I thought it through at all.”

Anna couldn’t help but chuckle at that. That was her sister all right – diving headlong into things without having considered them. _How the hell does she manage in court?_ “Please tell me about her. I feel like I missed out on so much of your life.”

Pulling into a driveway in front of a surprisingly large house in a neighborhood that made even Anna’s place in Portland look cheap, Elsa threw the car into park and turned to her sister. “You’re right. She went to law school with me and we dated for five years –”

“Five years and you never once mentioned her.”

“Yeah, I was a terrible sister, we’ve been over this.” Gritting her teeth, Elsa stared into the garage door. Anna could swear she saw a tear in her eye. “She was cute and fun and she challenged me. We had been competing for ages and we just kinda fell for each other. She’s still a good friend of mine – sometimes. We’ve always been a lot better at being enemies than friends. I swear we broke up half a dozen times.”

“Oh.”

“You’ll probably get to meet her.” She bit her lip, leaning her head against the headrest. “That’ll be fun.”

“What do you mean?”

She waved her hand. “It’s nothing. She’s just a complicated person.” Her gaze stayed on the garage, not meeting Anna’s eyes.

“And Mia?”

“She’s just an associate that I’m – I don’t know, mentoring? She’s really smart, a good kid, and she’s gonna be an amazing lawyer. I’m training her to replace Belle.”

“And Belle is?” _Does she really tell me this little of her life? I know I’ve asked before._

“A former associate who I was kind of terrible to and is now Anya’s girlfriend.”

“I can’t imagine you being terrible to anyone.”

“Yeah, you’re the best, Sensei!” Olaf chimed in.

Elsa grinned back at him. “And that’s why you get shiny expensive presents.”

His grin widened.

Anna placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re too hard on yourself, Elsa.”

“It’s fine. Let’s go inside.”

Inside, an assortment of smells washed over them. Anna’s mouth was watering even more than it had been when she was checking out her sister. It smelled phenomenal, even better than the last meal she’d had Tiana cook for her. She was suddenly very glad that they hadn’t stopped for food.

“It smells good,” Olaf cheered.

“Yeah it does.”

“Good. She loves hearing that. Let me show you to your rooms and then we can eat. Hey, honey!” she called in the general direction that the smells seemed to be coming from.

“Welcome back. Hi, Anna, hi, Olaf!” Tiana’s voice called back.

“Wait, rooms?” Anna asked.

“Yep.” She led them through the living room to a narrow carpeted stairway. Upstairs the landing split off in four directions. “Olaf’s room is pretty bare bones, I don’t have much kid stuff, but I set a TV up in it for him.” She gestures toward an open door and leads them to the room.

Olaf leaps onto the bed, bouncing off of it. “It’s so big!”

It was only a double, but Anna couldn’t help but notice that it looked incredibly soft. She walked over and sat on it. It was like sitting on a cloud. “I don’t need my own room.”

“Mama!”

Giggling, Elsa smiled down at the two of them. “I promise, yours is just as good. Come on, let Olaf get used to the place. Come on down whenever you’re ready.”

“Remember to wash your hands!” Following Elsa, it occurred to Anna that she was now in a bedroom alone with her sister. She wished it was for more exciting reasons.

“It’s our guest room, not that we use it too often. I hope it’s all right.”

It had a desk in the corner, a TV, and a queen bed that looked to be made of the same material as Olaf’s and just as pristine. “It’s perfect.” _For tackling you onto and having my way with you, but that’s implied, right?_

“I’m glad. Now let’s go eat before Tiana kills us. And don’t forget to wash your hands.” She stuck her tongue out at Anna who had absolutely no impure thoughts as to where it would be more useful. None whatsoever.

Once she’d collected herself, Anna made her way downstairs, urged along by the scent of gumbo. She’d never had it before, so she didn’t yet know what the smell meant, but she could smell an assortment of meats, peppers, tomatoes, and a number of other things she couldn’t place. Intermingling with it was a sweet vanilla flavor, that she somewhat hoped was not part of the same food. Following her nose, she found the dining room and saw Elsa and Tiana already sitting at the table, in front of a massive pot, a heaping bowl of salad, and a basket of cornbread. “Olaf’s not down yet?”

Elsa shook her head. “Nope. Give him a few then I can check on him if you want.”

“All right.” She took the seat across from Elsa, who was seated next to Tiana.

“Been a while, Anna.” Tiana beamed at her.

“Yeah, it has. Thank you for your help with that date, and thanks for dinner today, it smells amazing.”

“You helped her with her date?” Elsa quirked an eyebrow at her partner.

“I just made them dinner, tragically they – I mean I just figured I may as well help out while I was checking up on her.”

Anna’s brows furrowed. _Did Tiana just pass up the chance to flirt with me? Is she broken?_ “She made us beef Wellington.”

“I’m sure she was excited to get to do that. I’m not a huge fan of it.” Tiana narrowed her eyes at Elsa. “Yours is still great, honey, I just don’t need ham and mustard in my steak.”

“Philistine.”

“Clearly.”

_Are they fighting again? Elsa deserves so much better._

Tiana’s eyes brightened and she smiled at the woman who deserved better. “So how did she react? She throwing me a bridal shower?”

“Wait, what?”

Elsa chuckled. “I think she was distracted by the city. She still hasn’t noticed.”

“What haven’t I noticed?”

Elsa extended her left hand toward her, where a massive diamond shimmered on her finger. It was a hell of a lot nicer than the tiny cubic zirconium that Kristoff had bought her all those years ago. “This.”

Anna’s jaw dropped. “Holy –” she caught herself, as Olaf entered the room.

“What’s for dinner?” he asked, climbing into the seat beside his mother.

Anna could barely focus on him. _They’re getting married? It’s all over. It’s really happening. I mean, I knew she and I wouldn’t ever get together, but it felt like there was at least a chance, I didn’t think – they’re really getting married? Why now, all of a sudden? They’ve apparently been together for years. Is Tiana trying to keep her from me?_ She shook her head, as everyone stared at her. _No, that didn’t make any sense. Tiana would have jumped at the chance to have me in bed with them. It wasn’t about me. Just like it’s not about Elsa that I’m together with Moana, remember? Remember how you have a girlfriend?_ “It’s beautiful,” she finally managed. “When did this happen?”

Olaf tilted his head. “What’s beautiful? Is it dinner?” He peered at the table. “Oh, cornbread!” he snatched one up and bit into it, immediately tossing it back onto his plate. “What’s wrong with it?”

Tiana’s teeth ground together as she did her best not to snap at the child. “There’s jalapenos in it, they give it a nice kick.”

He shook his head. “Hnhn.”

She rolled her eyes. “Try the salad then. I proposed last night. I was terrified and needed to grow up a bit. I can barely believe she said yes.” _Is that why she stopped flirting? Maybe that’s what the growing up was about._ “I love your sister, I hope you’ll accept me into the family.”

_At least one of my sisters actually wants to sleep with me. Wait, no, it’s just the one sister I want, not a general sister thing._ “Of –”

“I don’t like salad! So you two are getting married? Does that make you my aunt?”

“I suppose it does,” Tiana growled.

Elsa nudged her. “Let me go order him a pizza.”

“But –”

“We can figure out what kind of stuff he’ll eat later. He still needs to eat tonight and he already said he wanted pizza. Let me just take care of it.” _She’s so good with him. She’d be such a good mom. God damn it, Anna, stop it._

“Fine.”

“You don’t have to,” Anna added.

“It’s okay. You two have fun. Come on, Olaf, help me order your food.”

“Can I have Pizza Hut?”

Anna could actually hear Tiana’s teeth grinding. It was a little horrifying. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine.” She seemed as if she wanted to bite Anna’s head off. _It must’ve been years since her food was last snubbed. I should’ve warned her about Olaf. Oh well, it pays her back – for all the flirting, not for marrying Elsa._

“I’m happy for you,” Anna managed. It wasn’t quite as painful as she expected. She rewarded herself with a few pieces of cornbread. Honestly, she’d have preferred it not have jalapenos either, but it was still good, and she was certainly not going to voice that complaint now.

“You are? I hope you don’t feel like I’m stealing your sister from you?” _What?_ Anna froze mid-bite, staring into Tiana’s brown eyes. “I mean you just finally got her back in your life and now she’s getting married. I know you want more time with her.”

“Right. Yeah.” She let out a shaky breath on the cornbread.

“So you’re okay with it?”

_‘No, I’m not. I’m in love with her and you can’t have her!’ That would go so well. I bet Moana would love it too._ “Of course I am. If she’s happy, I’m happy. You two have a weird relationship, but it seems to work for you, and that’s all I want. For you two to work out, not to have your relationship.”

Her teeth showed in a predatory smirk, but she held herself back. “Thank you. It means a lot. You’re really important to Elsa and you’re important to me too. I was worried about how you’d react. I kept hinting about it when I was visiting you, I really wanted your blessing, but I just kind of chickened out. You had your own partner to deal with, and it just felt silly.”

Anna’s cheeks colored. She still had a hard time believing that she was that important to her sister, it meant a lot to know that she had even been considered to be part of their engagement – even if she would have wanted to be a different part. She really did just want her to be happy. “Well, I would’ve given it.”

“You still can.”

“Then I give it.” _See? That wasn’t so bad._ She managed not to crush the cornbread in her hand.

Tiana walk around the table. Anna watched her the whole while, still suspicious of just what she might be up to when she suddenly threw her arms around her. “Thank you. You have no idea what that means to me. I don’t have any family left. I’m happy to have gained some.”

Anna hugged back, lightly rubbing the other woman’s back. She could handle this. Hell, it only made things easier. Now she’d be less tempted. “Then I’m happy to have gained a new sister too.”

She pulled back, grinning down at Anna. “You should eat before it gets cold.”

Eyeing the pot, Anna spooned some of the stew-like substance into her bowl. “What is it?”

“It’s gumbo. It’s my specialty. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Anna was almost entirely happy to find that she did in fact love it. It was delicious – a little too spicy, but that was just part of its flavor. Soon, Elsa was able to join them again and helped herself to a bowl of her own. “I told Olaf he could wait in his room. He said the peppers kind of burn his nose. That’s okay, right, Anna?”

She nodded. “It’s fine. He can be really sensitive to this kind of stuff.”

“I’ll keep that in mind next time,” Tiana managed. _She’s already trying to be a good aunt._

By the time they’d finished and started on the pralines, the pizza arrived, and Olaf came bounding down the stairs. Elsa left to pay for it.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Tiana said, swallowing a bite of the sugary substance.

“I’m glad I am too.”

They made sure to save one for Olaf, but Anna was fairly certain that he wouldn’t like it – he hated nuts in his food. Except for his Crackerjacks. The three of them made it through a bottle of wine while Olaf watched TV up in his room. _It’s like having a teenager already._ Anna was still reeling from the announcement, but all-in-all it was proving to be a pretty good start to her trip. She just hoped that she could survive the entire month without confessing everything.


	41. Elsa - I Tried to Be a Good Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m thrilled by the response to the last chapter. I’m glad so many of you are enjoying this story, and it means the world to hear. I hope you like what all is still to come.
> 
> On Monday, I’ll be going under the knife again, this time for surgery to my left hand. The recovery last time was pretty quick, but my right hand is already starting to act up again, so I’m not sure what to expect. There shouldn’t be any delay for my stories though, I have rough drafts for the next eleven chapters of this.

“Let me show you around town. We didn’t do much touristy stuff last time, since I was so busy with work. Come on, we can go wherever you want, and then we have that play tonight.” Elsa leaned against the doorframe of the guest bathroom, waiting for Anna to finish getting ready. _I know it’s earlier for her, but even on West Coast time it’s almost ten. How does she sleep in like this?._

“What about Olaf?”

“We can take him with us.”

From somewhere down the hall, she heard, “I don’t wanna!” Elsa looked around for the kid. Last she’d seen he’d been downstairs with Tiana. She hoped that hadn’t gone explosively.

“Why not?” Elsa asked.

“Aunt Tiana said that we were gonna spend the day together.”

She blinked. “What?”

“Are you serious?” Anna asked, tossing her hairbrush into her bag. It could clearly wait.

He cocked his head at them. “Yeah, why?”

“Let’s go ask Aunt Tiana, all right?” Elsa led him away, Anna following after them. Her makeup was done, though her hair was still a mess. _If she’s just going to throw it in a ponytail then I guess she’s ready enough._

They found Tiana in the living room on her laptop. She’d recently been getting into the stock market. She’d told Elsa that it had seemed so foreign when she was a child that being able to experiment with it however she wanted as an adult was just too much fun to pass up, so Elsa assumed that’s what she was doing at the moment. “Tiana?”

“What’s up?” She didn’t bother looking up from the screen.

“Olaf says he’s spending the day with you?” _Please don’t kill my nephew. I know he insulted your cooking, but I swear he’s a good kid._

“Yup.”

“Oh.” Elsa sat down, waiting for an elaboration that did not seem forthcoming. After a long moment she added, “And what’re you going to do?”

Finally glancing up, she smirked at Elsa. “You don’t need to worry. I can take some criticism, I don’t know what I was thinking serving jalapeno cornbread with gumbo anyway, it just gets rid of any contrast. Some nice french bread to dip in it adds a good crunch and complements the flavors a lot better anyway, or just regular cornbread if you want to stick with the comfort food aesthetic.” _She does love sticking with the comfort food aesthetic. It’s half of her brand._

“Okay. So what are you going to do then?”

“We’re going to go exploring!” Olaf answered. _That’s not an answer._

“You gonna teach him how to pick up women?” Anna asked.

“Please, I’m sure the kid’s a natural, knowing his mother.” _I guess that’s not quite flirting._ “Olaf and I were talking while you were in the shower. He and I weren’t going to that play, and it’s about time that I start to bond with my soon to be nephew anyway. We’re going to find good food that he’ll like.”

“I’m not trying anything weird,” he added.

“He has complete veto power on anything –”

“What’s that mean?”

“Like we said earlier, you can say no to any food I suggest, even once it’s already in front of you. I won’t pressure him at all.” She turned back to Anna. “We’re just going to start with food that he already eats or that’s basically the same as what he eats.”

“That’s not much.”

He looked wounded. “I eat plenty, Mama.”

“I’d love to broaden his horizons eventually, but right now I just need to show him how good the stuff he already likes can be. I know how kids’ pallets are, although he seems picky even by those standards.”

“I just like what I like!”

“So we’re going to go to a bunch of places in New York and I’ll show him how good better cooked versions of the food can be, while still avoiding anything too complex for him. Kids prefer much simpler flavors, it’s why they love things like McDonald’s.” She shuddered. “I’m just going to find better versions of that.”

 _Then they’ll never leave if he won’t even eat the food that’s available back home. When kids stop liking fast food and frozen chicken nuggets you’re out of luck. Wow, I microwaved so many chicken nuggets for Anna when we were kids. She wouldn’t even touch anything more interesting – I was having frozen burritos like a normal eight year old. I guess that’s where he gets it from._ “All right, that sounds reasonable,” Elsa replied.

Pursing her lips, Anna still seemed to be considering this. She was examining Tiana. Elsa hoped that her partner’s constant flirtation hadn’t given Anna too much cause to distrust her. They were going to be family. “Okay. You two have fun. I guess I’ll go be all touristy with my sister.” She turned to Elsa, her cheeks faintly coloring. “We’ll have a great time, and I’ve been really excited to see Wicked. I made her watch The Wizard of Oz so much when we were little, and she’d always hold my hand during the flying monkey scenes.” She paused, swallowing and staring at the floor. “It’ll be fun.”

“So are you ready to go, or do you have a checklist you need to go over with Tiana first?” Elsa asked. “We can grab food on the way, I need to show you Oaken’s.”

“I guess I’m ready. Let me just go grab a hair tie and we can head out. What’s Oaken’s?”

“You’ll find out.”

“Bye, Mama! Bye, sensei!”

Anna scooped Olaf up. “We’re not leaving for a few more minutes. Aren’t you two heading out too?”

“Just let me finish up this trade and we’ll head out. Elsa’s car is blocking the driveway, so I have to wait on you anyway.”

“She said I can have doughnuts.”

“Fried food is always the easiest way to a child’s heart. And to clog their arteries,” Tiana added with a mumble, turning back to the laptop and clicking a few times. _That seems a bit hypocritical coming from Miss Beignet._

“What’s that mean, mama?”  
Anna rolled her eyes. “It’s not something you’ll have to worry about for a long time.”

“Like when I’m seven?”

“Sure. We can talk about it then.” She held him out to Elsa, who studied him for a moment before taking the surprisingly heavy child. She so rarely had to hold anything heavier than a stack of law books – which could certainly be heavy enough.

“Uh...” She stared at Olaf, unsure of what to do. _Kids are so weird. What’s even the point of humans you can’t discuss the law with?_ “So what do you want to be when you grow up?”

“A jedi!”

 _Yeah, I should’ve known that._ “Well, we’ll keep working on your training while you’re here.”

His face lit up. _Maybe I’m not too bad at this aunt thing. At least he’s a good kid. Maybe I’ll come around to it eventually. Tiana seems convinced that I will, I just don’t know. If every kid was as easy to deal with as Olaf it wouldn’t be quite so scary, at least._ Suddenly, his smile vanished and a look of concern sunk Elsa’s heart. _Scratch that. Kids are too confusing._ “I forgot my light saber!”

 _Oh, that’s it?_ “Tiana, would you grab him one while you’re out? And one for me too, he needs someone to fight.”

“Sure,” she muttered, still focused on the screen.

Anna came back downstairs, looking chipper and adorable in her jeans and t-shirt as her pony tail swished behind her. Elsa had left her own hair down, and was beginning to fear that her several hundred dollar dress may be a bit too nice for touristy things. She could change back into it before the play. “I didn’t think this through. Let me go change into something a bit more casual.” She handed Olaf back to his mother, prompting a giggle from the child, and dashed upstairs.

When she returned in a skirt and a light cotton blouse, she found everyone up and waiting for her. Tiana smirked. “You look amazing. Now I’m a little sad I’m not going with you. I never get to see you dress down.”

Anna’s mouth seemed to be hanging open. She nodded. “Yeah. Wow.” Shaking her head, she set Olaf down. “Sorry, I just never see you like this. I haven’t since we were kids, it took me by surprise, that’s all.”

Snickering, Elsa smiled at her. “I just don’t know what you have in mind, didn’t want to get anything on that dress. You do have something nice for tonight, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m glad I did the laundry at Moana’s before we left -- I think it’ll be great for the play. I’m so excited. I’ve wanted to see it for years, but I couldn’t afford it when they were in town.”

Satisfied with that answer, Elsa led the way out to her car, and the two headed out to explore the city. Elsa just wished she had any idea what to show Anna, she really hadn’t ever bothered to see the sights much since she’d moved there eight years earlier. Hell, she hadn’t even seen Wicked yet.

They arrived at Oaken’s just a little after eleven. “Hoo hoo!” the owner called to them. “It’s been a few days, Elsa, I’d been growing worried.”

Elsa flushed. _It’s only been three days._ “I’m sorry for worrying you, Oaken.”

Anna giggled. “I take it you come here a lot.”

Avoiding her gaze, Elsa gestured toward the menu. “Their pastries are really good, and they have great hot chocolate, though it is summer right now, so you might not want that.”

“I always want hot chocolate.”

“All right, Oaken we’ll have two hot chocolates. You want a chocolate croissant?”

“Yes!” She could hear the grin in Anna’s voice, she didn’t even have to face her.

“Then two chocolate croissants as well.”

“Another woman after your own heart then?” He chuckled, beginning to make their drinks. “So who is this lovely young lady? At first I thought she was Anastasia.” _God damn I come here too much. She doesn’t look that much like her. It’s not weird._ Groaning, Elsa pointed at her sister. “This is Anna, my little sister. She’s visiting me for the summer.”

“Oh, and to think I – It’s a pleasure to meet you, Anna. I see you share your sister’s taste. I hope that you’ll enjoy my food just as much as she does.” Some liquid marshmallow and whip cream were expertly dumped into the cups before he placed lids on them and set them on the counter so he could retrieve their croissants. “It’s on the house. I’m glad you’re bringing in more new customers.”

Tossing a twenty in the tip jar, Elsa rolled her eyes. “You don’t have enough customers to give me as much free stuff as you do.”

“My other store is much more successful. I mostly keep this one for the office workers that come through here before work and at lunch.”

 _I guess ten and three aren’t quite rush hour for baked goods and coffee._ “Well thank you.” She led the way to her usual table. As Anna sat opposite her, she was struck again by just how much she really did look like her ex. _At least she’s not lecturing me? I don’t want to think about what it means, but it’s still a definite upgrade from Anya and I bitching at each other._

“Whatcha thinking about?” Anna asked, blowing on her cocoa.

 _Not touching that one._ “Legal stuff.”

“Oh, right, your law firm is right by here. Want to show me it?” Her chocolate stained teeth showed as she beamed at her.

“We’re going to a party there in just a couple days, can I just show you it then? I thought you wanted to see New York.”

“I do.” She chewed on her lip before taking another sip. “I just want to know more about your life. I haven’t gotten to see much of it.”

 _Yeah, that’s what happens when I avoid you for most of a decade. I can’t believe you still want to know._ “I can show you if you want. I was thinking maybe we’d go do the harbour tour though. I’ve heard good things and you could get some pictures of the Statue of Liberty to show Moana.”

She chewed on the croissant as she considered this. “Fine, but you’re giving me a tour of your office before the party. I don’t care how early we have to go there.”

“Do I have to introduce you to all of my coworkers too?”

“Maybe. So what’s this party? Have you mentioned it and I’ve just forgotten?”

Elsa shook her head, breaking off a piece of her own croissant. “No, it’s just a Fourth of July thing we do every year.”

“Oh, wow, it’s already the second.”

“Yeah, but I still have you for a whole month, so there’s plenty of time for everything.”

Anna’s eyes widened before she replied, “This summer has been going by so quickly.”

“Yeah, that’s what happens when you spend a whole week in bed with your girlfriend.”

Coughing and spitting out hot chocolate, Anna hid her flushed face. “Elsa!”  
_She’s still so awkward about it._ “Hey, it’s helped pass the time with Tiana plenty.”

Her cheeks darkened further. “Well I hope you and your fiancee had fun.”

Elsa stared down at her ring. _I still can’t believe it. I am doing the right thing, right? I know we’ve had our issues lately, but she’s trying to make me more of a focus, and she’s not rushing the whole kids thing. It’s going to work out. It’s just still so new, that’s all. No reason to make anything of it._ “Yeah. Of course.”

“Can I meet Anastasia?”

Elsa blinked and took a sip of her drink. What could’ve prompted that? “What about the tour?”  
“It doesn’t have to be right now. Though I’m not against right now. I just keep hearing about her. I thought maybe I could finally find out who she is. Oaken even said I looked like her – I mean I’m sure he’s wrong, there’s no way you would date someone who looks like me.”

 _How do you even respond to that?_ “And just what’s that supposed to mean?”

She swallowed, chewing on her lip again. “I just meant it’d be weird. Not that I wouldn’t date someone who looked like you, you’re beautiful, wait that didn’t sound better. I love you?”

“Did someone spike your hot chocolate?”

“That would explain how good it is.”

Elsa had to agree with that at least. The hot chocolate was amazing. She took a hefty gulp of it, hoping that it would manage to diminish the strangeness of this conversation. _Maybe Anya can show up and yell at me? That’d let her meet her and change the subject._ “You’re very beautiful, Anna, I don’t know what you’re going on about.”

Staring intently at the floor, Anna did her best to stifle a smile. _I had no idea my opinion still meant that much to her._ “You really think so?”

“I mean I am your mom, I think I have to think that.” _I had to do it._

Anna looked crestfallen. “Right. Of course.”

 _Great. That somehow made things even more awkward._ “I’m just joking. Of course you’re beautiful. Now finish your food, let’s go on that tour.”

“Right. Okay. Sure, I can do that.” She stuffed more of the croissant into her mouth, smearing her face with chocolate. _Some things never change._ After draining her hot chocolate in record time, she smiled up at Elsa, chocolate rimming her mouth. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“I still have to finish my food. Go clean your face off.” _Maybe I really am still her mom._

While Anna was hidden away in the single bathroom, Elsa decided that she could grant her wish, no matter how terrified she was of it. She pulled out her phone and called Anastasia. “What’s up?” she answered on the third ring.

“Hey, Anna’s visiting and she found out that I practically hid you from her last time and wants to meet you.”

“We were broken up. How is that hiding me?”

“We broke up like a week before she came to visit. I’m not saying I actually hid you, just that it kinda looks that way from her perspective.”

“Technically you did say it.”

“Save it for the deposition, counselor. We’re seeing Wicked tonight, would you and Belle be up for grabbing dinner around there before the show? Maybe around five or five-thirty?”

Anya called to Belle and they exchanged a few words that Elsa couldn’t quite make out. “Sure, is Tiana coming?”

“Believe it or not, she’s babysitting.”

“You know that’s just going to make her more baby crazy, right?”

Elsa blinked. She had not actually considered that. She drained the rest of her hot chocolate, hoping that it could somehow retroactively talk sense into her and prevent this eminent disaster.

“So you didn’t realize?”

“I didn’t think about it. I was just trying to be a good aunt.”

“Well, she posted online that you’re engaged, so I’m sure she’s already thinking about it plenty.”

Her teeth ground together. “She told me she could wait.”

“Do you think waiting’ll make a difference?”

 _I have no fucking clue._ “Maybe?” The bathroom door slammed shut and Anna trotted over to her, pausing with her mouth half open in greeting when she noticed that she was on the phone. Elsa held up a single finger. “We have to get going.”

“Saved by the bell. Sure, I’ll go on a weird double date with you and your sister.”

“It’s only weird because you said that.”

“Well I’ll take it back when you have a serious conversation with Tiana. Have you even told her that you don’t want kids?”

“Yes. I have. We had a long conversation about it two days ago.”

Anya sighed. _She always thinks I’m in the wrong. I might be, but not for lack of trying at least._ “Fine, then I take it back. See you at 5:30. Tori Shin work?”

“Are you kidding me? I’m not eating chicken knees again. I don’t care how much Tiana liked it, that was just weird.”

“They don’t do that if you don’t want them to. You do know Tiana actually requested that, right?”

“Fine, but we’re only eating human food.”

“No argument from me. I haven’t had massively overpriced chicken in ages. You’re buying?”

 _How exactly can I argue here? Everyone else is still struggling to pay their rent and mortgages._ “Fine, just don’t get too drunk.”

“I’ll consider it. Belle says to tell Anna she says ‘hi.’”

“She doesn’t know Anna.”

Elsa could almost hear her shrugging. “See you then.” The phone clicked as the call ended.

“Belle says hi.”

Anna stared at her. “The girl from your firm? The one you’re mentoring?”

“The one she’s replacing. We’re having dinner with her and Anastasia.”

Her teeth flashed as she grinned ear to ear. “So I get to meet her?”

 _Is there something I’m missing?_ “Yes, now let’s go on that tour before it’s too late to get home and change before dinner and the show.”

They left the cafe, with Oaken bidding them farewell, and drove to a dock, having to only wait for about an hour to catch the next tour. Anna seemed oddly focused on Elsa. It was like she couldn’t take her eyes off of her, and she seemed so nervous. _She was acting like this in Portland too. Is she just scared that I’ll up and leave again if she does something wrong?_ “You know you can relax, right?” Elsa finally asked, as the statue began fading into the distance – or as much as it could when they were still in the city.

Anna’s eyes widened, her back straightening as she met Elsa’s gaze. “What do you mean?”

“Well that’s the opposite of what I mean. You just seem so nervous.”

“I’m not.”

“Anna –”

“No, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry.”  
“Is something wrong? Did you not want to go on this tour? I should’ve just shown you the office like you wanted.”

She held her hands out, fingers spread wide. “No, no, no. It’s nothing like that. This has been amazing. I’ve loved spending all this time with you. It’s all I’ve wanted.”

“So you _are_ just scared I’ll leave again.”

Her eyes widened as she shook her head. “No. Elsa, please. You haven’t done anything wrong. I’m just being my weird crazy self. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Anna –”

“Look birds!”  
Elsa looked. There were a few seagulls flying by. “Yep, those are birds.”

“They’re cute. I got to pet a chicken when Esmeralda was babysitting Olaf around a month ago. I bet those seagulls are just as soft. And they probably wouldn’t peck me.”

“A chicken pecked you?”

She sulked. “Yes.”

“Aww, I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

Anna froze, staring at her. “What?”

“What?”

“Uh, nothing. Nothing. Yeah, the chicken pecked me right here,” she pointed at her forearm, “Since you are my mom, you should kiss it and make it better.”

“You said it had been a month, if it still hurts then I’m taking you to a hospital.”

“I was just joking.”

 _Okay, maybe she is crazy. I’d barely seen her for twelve years, this could just be what Anna is like now. I guess that wouldn’t be the worst thing, she’s still charming and smart, just really weird._ “Esmeralda was your first, right?”

“Uh, yeah. My first everything really, if I really did never love Kristoff.”

“I’m sorry it didn’t go better. I know how tough that first breakup can be.” _Open mouth, insert foot. She knows that I broke up with Elizabeth because of her, I’ve just made things worse._

Surprisingly, Anna didn’t seem to notice. “No, it’s okay. She’s been an amazing friend. We were a terrible match romantically. We didn’t want the same things at all. You and Tiana want the same things, right? I mean, me and Moana totally do, I think. Probably. It’s still new. Right, I was saying that Esmeralda has been a great friend. She’s even babysat him and Lilo, and you know how tough that can be.”

“Lilo really isn’t that bad.”

“Yeah, that’s what Esmeralda said.”

Elsa chuckled. “You just have to accept her insanity and then it’s all pretty easy from there.”

“Well, I’m still working on it. I think Nani is too.”

“Nah, you’re both experts.”

Anna stared at her.

“We babysat. It’s easy. Nani, and hell, you, are practically her parents. You’re not some new person that she isn’t used to and doesn’t how to deal with. Face it, you kinda have two kids.”

“I’ll have to tell Nani we’re married then. I wonder how Moana will react.” She let out a shaky breath. It was starting to look like she was actually relaxing. Finally.

“I think they both already know. I’d love to hear that conversation though.”

“Maybe later.” She turned back to the water. This time it didn’t seem like she was avoiding anything at least, just staring at the impressively filthy water they were sailing across. “Where did we used to take boats? I remember sitting a lot like this, next to you, our parents on the other side, just staring at the waves, but I can’t for the life of me recall where it was. Did we go whale watching or something? I know it happened a few times.”

It took a moment for the memory to hit her. “Norway,” Elsa breathed. “It was in Kristiansund,” her faint accent returned. She hadn’t spoken with it since she was at least ten. “We went twice, I think you were four and six when we did it. The second time, our parents actually rented the boat instead of just paying to go out on one. It was beautiful.”

“I can kind of remember. The water was so clear. It was nothing like this.”

“Yeah.” Elsa sighed, thinking back to their childhood. She so rarely bothered with nostalgia. Maybe now that she wasn’t mad at Anna – now that she didn’t have any reason to avoid it -- she could enjoy it a bit more. “You hated the klipfish.”

“I stand by it.”  
“So you remember that?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I remember the salty pain.”

Giggling, Elsa pulled her sister to her. She rested Anna’s head on her shoulder, holding her close. It had been a long time. “And you wonder where Olaf gets it.”

“I was not that bad!”  
“Yeah, you kind of were.”

She grumbled, but didn’t move from her spot until they docked. Elsa had thought she might’ve fallen asleep, but she immediately leapt to her feet and grabbed her hand, dragging her away. “Let’s go.”

“Where are we going? We still have another hour or so before we need to head home.”

“I want a New York street pretzel. I know they’re a thing, and you’re going to buy me one. You made me think of salty things and now I’m craving it.”

‘ _Salty pain’ makes her think of pretzels?_ “You know what, sure. I haven’t had one in years. Wanna split it? We’re having a huge dinner and I’d rather not spoil it.”

“I suppose, but only because I love you. Otherwise I’d bite you when you tried to steal my pretzel.”

As she was dragged down the pier, Elsa smiled to herself. This was the sister she’d missed. She knew she’d been in there somewhere.

It had taken a surprisingly long time to find a place that actually had pretzels. They’d found three nut stands and a hot dog one before they managed to locate their quarry. It was okay, nothing particularly impressive, but seeing just how happy Anna looked eating it with her made it worth it. She had no idea what had finally helped her relax, but whatever it was, she was glad it happened.

Their detour had taken a good hour, so they made it home just in time. Elsa threw on the same black silk dress that she’d been wearing earlier, as she waited for Anna to pick out her clothes. Tiana and Olaf were nowhere to be found. Elsa shot her fiancee a quick message checking in with them and saying that they were going to grab dinner with Anya and Belle, neglecting to mention the place, but she figured that the two were having their fun. Maybe they’d actually find something Olaf could eat.

Elsa had to blink a few times when she saw the woman walking down her stairway. Sometimes it was still hard to believe that her little girl had grown into this woman. _She looks like a real adult._ She managed not to giggle at her own joke. She didn’t want to offend her sister when she was finally loosening up. The dark green skirt, baby blue blouse, and matching flats all brought out her eyes, and with her hair in a bun Elsa hardly recognized her. She’d always been the one to have to do anything with it. If she didn’t braid it, then Anna would just leave it in a ponytail. _How did she think she was straight?_

“How do I look?”

“You look amazing.”

Her teeth flashed. “Damn right I do.”

“Oh?” _Maybe this really is a different woman. Was she hiding in Anna’s suitcase? That would explain why it was so heavy._

“I saw how both Moana and you reacted. I think I know this outfit works for me. I’ll make sure not to wear it around Tiana.”

“Please don’t.”

“She really has changed, you know.”

Elsa nodded. “She has. She’s really trying to be the kinda girl you marry.” _I just hope that she’s actually the kind of girl I marry. I hope her trying is enough._

Anna seemed to grow more somber for a moment before her cheery grin reemerged. “So, let’s go have some chicken knees.”

“No.”

“I’m gonna request them special.”

“I will stay home.”

“You’re no fun.” She reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear only to find that it was absent. _Definitely still Anna._ “Time to meet Anastasia.” _Right. Fun._

As they entered the restaurant, replete with its extensive bamboo forest and massive wooden bar, they found Anya and Belle waiting for them just inside. “You’re so lucky I managed to make this reservation,” Anastasia said by way of greeting.

“Hi,” Belle added, jumping to her feet.

Elsa glanced to Anna to see the massive grin she was doing her best to conceal. _She’s never going to let me live this down._ “Hey, Belle. Hey, Anya. This is Anna.”

She took in a few breaths to steady herself. Elsa was growing increasingly concerned as to just how much Anna was going to ridicule her for this. _I didn’t notice at the time, damn it._ “Hi!” she squeaked, sounding far far too excited. “It’s so great to finally meet you. She’s told me almost nothing about you. You look – I mean, I love your suit. Just, wow. Um, hi.”

Gritting her teeth, Elsa added, “She’s a little excited.”

“I can tell,” Anya muttered. “So this is the famous Anna.”

Belle clasped Anna’s hand in her own. “It’s great to meet you too. Your sister is amazing, and I’ve been dying to see you since she mentioned that the two of you were back in touch. It was actually one of my biggest fears when I left our firm was that I wouldn’t be able to meet you when you came to visit.”

“We could just leave you two alone if you’d like,” Anastasia suggested.

“Oh come on, don’t pretend you’re not excited. I saw all your preening before we left. You’ve been waiting for this moment for like six years.” Belle smirked at her partner. _I wonder if she’s like this in court now. I’d love to find out sometime, preferably not against her though, she might actually beat me._

Groaning, Anya took a few steps toward Anna, as Belle finally released her. “Elsa had drilled pretty much everything I needed to know about you into me for weeks before you were gonna visit. I don’t know if it’s all still accurate, but I’m happy to finally meet the woman I had to study for. You mean a lot to your sister, no matter how bad she is at showing it.”

“She isn’t –”

“I know she’s gotten better. I’m trying to believe that. You are here now, and even know that she’s gay, so I guess she can really change.” She glanced to Elsa, her emotions masked. “I have a billion embarrassing stories about her. Let’s see if I can manage to tell you all of them before you have to leave.”

Anna’s grin only grew. “I want to hear everything. What’s the weirdest thing she ever told you?”

“Anya,” Elsa growled. _I am not having my ex talk to my sister about our sex life._

“Let’s get a few drinks in us first.”

“But I need to know.” Her teeth dug into her lower lip and her eyes scrunched shut. After a few seconds of thinking she opened them again and forced a smile. _What the hell is going on with her?_ “I just missed a lot, and there’s no way Elsa will tell me that stuff.”

“Have we checked in yet?” Elsa asked, turning toward the maitre d’. “We had a reservation for 5:30. Should be under Romanov.”

The tuxedoed man who had patiently waited through their display glanced down at the notebook before him. “Yes. We’re ready for you. Come with me.”

He led them to a spot at the busy counter that went around the restaurant. Anna dragged Anastasia along with her to the far left seats, cornering the older woman. She clearly had no intention of allowing her interrogation to be interrupted. _Fine._ Elsa gestured from Belle to the open seat.

“After you.”

She took the spot next to her sister. Maybe she could at least prevent a few of the worst things from coming to light. _I don’t know if I’m more scared of Anya embarrassing me or sharing some of the terrible shit I’ve done for clients, but I’d rather not deal with either._ Belle sat next to her. “So, you two having a good summer?” Elsa attempted.

“Yeah. Business is really up of late. We actually had to hire a paralegal and another lawyer. That company that we definitely didn’t steal from you made such a difference.”

“I’m glad to hear that. It just kind of sounds like it’s the exact opposite of what Anya wanted.”

Belle pursed her lips, looking past Elsa’s redhead to her own. After a long pause she sighed. “Yeah. I know it’s been eating at her. She didn’t want work to be her life, she didn’t want to represent terrible people, and now she’s just doing it all over again, and she doesn’t even have a boss to blame it on.”

“The woman who represented Ms. Hawkins didn’t want to represent terrible people?”

“Hey, Thompson was worse.”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

Belle leaned against the counter, staring vaguely at the glossy menu. “I wish I could help her. I know how much it’s eating at her.”

“But losing her firm would eat at her more.”

She nodded. “Exactly.”

Leaning back in the short wooden chair, and finding the back stopped far too short to comfortably do so, Elsa blew out a breath. “I could see if my firm would want to absorb her. If she has as many big clients as you make it sound like, it’d probably be worth it, and then Anya could start back as a partner.”

Shaking her head, Belle tapped a finger on the bar. “You know her. There’s no way she’d do it. This firm means so much to her.”

“Yeah, it was supposed to mean freedom, if it doesn’t anymore –”

“You can ask her if you want, but she won’t want to, and I’m not gonna try to convince her. I love her and she loves this firm.”

Elsa flipped through a page in the menu. She hated seeing someone she cared about putting herself through this, but Belle was right – Anya was far too proud for anything else. “So you’re saying ‘love’ already?”

“We’ve been saying it for ages.”

“Oh.” _I know I’m just going to get the ten skewers, why am I checking anything else?_ “It took her and I almost a year for that when we were together. Then again, I guess you two don’t butt heads nearly as often.”

“Yeah, some of us don’t have to turn everything into a competition.”

“I’ve been called out by Belle. Truly this is a new low.”

Belle stuck her tongue out at her, just as a waitress showed up. “Have you decided on your drinks?”

They ordered a couple bottles of sake and were assured that a chef would be with them soon. “No way,” Anna muttered, her jaw dropping as she stared at Anastasia. _What did I miss?_

“Yep. The judge was flabbergasted, it was so amazing.”

Elsa’s eyes must have bored a hole into Anya as hard as she was staring. She didn’t want to ask, and she couldn’t even imagine what story she’d be telling, so she wasn’t going to just cut it off. _Hell, maybe it even makes me sound good. Stranger things have happened._

“Did she report him?”

“Nah, she’d earned his respect at that point, and won the cases, making the sexist old ass look bad would only make her case’s standing shakier.” _Oh, that._ “I think she just loves proving bigots wrong. It’s probably why she’s friends with Gaston now – can’t even start to figure that one out – she did it a bunch in law school too. Mock trial was amazing. One time we had to face off against these spoiled dicks from Yale, who were actually laughing about having to face off against two girls. All these years later, it’s still one of my favorite victories.” _What happened to the embarrassing stories?_

She turned back to Belle to find her pouring them each a cup of sake. “Let them have their fun. Anya has answers to years and years of time that Anna missed out on. You’ll be able to talk to them later. Besides, we never get to spend any time on our own together, so drink up.” _This is why we took a taxi._

“Cheers.”

“No, it’s kanpai!” Belle grinned, holding the tiny clay cup in the air.

“Fine, whatever, kanpai.” The two drained their cups and Elsa poured them another.

“So they outed the two of you to the whole class?” Anna asked. “How did Elsa react?”

“She just asked the professor what her grade was on the test.”

“Of course she did.” Anna glanced over at Elsa, a loving – and only slightly inebriated – smile on her face. “That’s why I love her. She doesn’t let anything bring her down.” _Yeah, she doesn’t know me. I let plenty bring me down._

“Wanna tell me stories about Anya?” Belle asked.

“Are there any I haven’t told you yet?”

“Probably, but all right, how about Anna?”

“Fair’s fair.”

“Wait, what?” Anna turned back to them. “What was that about me?”

“Oh, Elsa is just going to tell stories about you,” Belle chirped, draining another cup. “Though if you have childhood stories about her, this may be the best day of my life.”

Anna glanced between Belle and Anastasia, clearly weighing the pros and cons of the two options. Fortunately, she was bought some extra time by the chef finally approaching them. “Sorry about that wait, what can I get started for you?”

Elsa and Anya ordered the skewer sets while Belle and Anna ordered the Omakase. _Just once could we not order the same thing?_ While it cost a fortune, it ensured they’d all have a good variety of food and a more than ample amount. Elsa just hoped they’d have time to make it to the theater. “So, Anna, what was it like having Elsa as your mom?” Belle asked. _I should’ve just started the stories._

Anna shrunk into her chair, her eyebrows knitting as she stared at Belle. “I mean she wasn’t really my mom.”

“I know, but –”

“I mean, that would just be weird.” Her eyes widened. “Cause she’s only three years older than me.”

“Anna?” Belle asked.

“I tried to be a good mother,” Elsa announced. “It wasn’t easy, she was a troubled child. She even thought she was straight.”

Belle gasped. “I hope you corrected that assumption.”

Anna’s cheeks colored.

“I did, but it took me far too long. I fear that I failed her.” _I kinda do actually. If I’d been honest with her from the beginning then maybe she wouldn’t have repressed it for so long. I should’ve just told her about Elizabeth when it happened, I just thought it would be too much for her after we had just lost our parents. Especially with how she was acting out and running off all the time._

“I figured it out myself,” Anna grumbled. “Though I’d have certainly appreciated her help.” She stared down at her newly empty sake cup and filled it again. _I’m glad Tiana isn’t here. I wouldn’t even blame her for any response to that._ “Though, if I’m being honest, it wasn’t actually much of a change,” Anna added after a long moment, instantly pulling everyone’s quizzical stares to her. “Not the gay thing, that was definitely a welcome change, men are gross, I never realized there was a reason I just wasn’t that into it, but I mean her being my legal guardian. Not my mom. She was always the one looking after me. Ever since we were kids.”

“Our parents did plenty –”

“Not really. I was sad that they were gone, and it was weird not having them around, but it had always been you. I’m a little amazed that I managed to survive without you for as long as I have. I clearly wasn’t doing a great job of it.” She drained another cup.

“How about you save the sake.” _I’d rather she not start crying in the middle of the restaurant. I want today to be a great day for her, we’re about to go see a play together._ “You weren’t messing your life up at all.” Elsa set her hand on Anna’s shoulder and found that Anna promptly leaned into her touch, her cheek brushing her hand. “I’m proud of you.”

That smile returned and she stared down at the counter. “Thank you,” she murmured quietly, still leaning against her hand.

They managed to avoid any stories quite as dramatic as that one, and the conversation grew more relaxed, with Anna eagerly eating up every detail she could find, even listening to a few of Anya and Belle’s recent cases. Their food arrived and was far better than the last time Elsa had been there. The lack of knees just really improves a meal.

They had to rush toward the end and leave the leftovers with Anya and Belle so they could make it to the theater. _Tiana would want them, but that’s the downside of taking a taxi here._ They made it to the theater with just a few minutes to spare, the buzz from the sake beginning to wear off. They were led to their seats and within a short moment the orchestra began to play. Their attention was rapt throughout the production. By the time it was over, they were both ecstatic, chatting away as they waited for their ride. “I loved it!” Anna squealed. “Though I swear that’s not how the Scarecrow happened in the books. I don’t remember a lot from you reading them to me when we were little but I remember that much.”

“Yeah, you’re not supposed to take it too literally, I don’t think, but it was a lot of fun. I hadn’t ever bothered to read any reviews, since I wasn’t likely to see it anytime soon, but from the posters I’d always somewhat expected them to get together.”

“That was definitely the one shame of the play. They would’ve been adorable. Glinda was really cute.”  
“You don’t like green girls?”

“Maybe I have a thing for blondes.”

Elsa giggled, rolling her eyes. _If that was anyone else, I’d think they were flirting with me._ Their taxi pulled up, “Elsa?”

“Yeah.” She helped Anna to her feet and they made their way home. Apparently Anna had had a pretty full day, as she passed out against Elsa’s shoulder five minutes into the drive. Elsa wrapped an arm around her and leaned against the window, watching as her city passed by. As much as she’d always loved New York, it was nice to have an excuse to take advantage of a few of its attractions for once. She’d been so stressed since Tiana proposed, spending this time with Anna may have been the first time she’d relaxed all week. She hoped Tiana and Olaf had half as good of a day. She wasn’t sure for whom she was more concerned of the two.

Fortunately, they both seemed in pretty good spirits. Olaf had even eaten a shawarma wrap! Tiana was beside herself with joy. He’d had to remove almost everything from it that was meant to go on it, but it was a start. Elsa led the bleary Anna up to bed and sent Olaf to his own before returning to her soon to be wife. “You had a good day then?” Elsa asked.

“Better now.” She pulled Elsa to her. “You tired?”

“Not really.”

“Wanna have really quiet sex so we don’t have to explain anything awkward to the child in the next room?”

Who could resist that offer? So, Elsa ended an already enjoyable day in an incredibly enjoyable way. As she was drifting off to sleep, she found herself wondering about Anna. She was so glad she’d seemed to stop her odd behavior earlier, but she hoped she’d eventually find out what it’d been about. Fortunately, Elsa had more imminent things to worry about. She just hoped Gaston could behave himself at the party.


	42. Anna - Happy and In Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My surgery went really well. My hand is already almost back to working normally, other than not being able to lift anything too heavy. So, without further ado, here’s your regular chapter.

            “Hey, honey.” Anna leaned back in her bed, staring at the image of Moana on her phone.

            “Morning. Happy Fourth of July.” She was in uniform, sitting in what looked like a hotel room, though Anna couldn’t possibly guess which one or where.

            “Should I let you go? I forgot you were working today.” She reached toward the phone.

            “No, it’s okay. I have time, just figured I should get dressed before I call ‘cause I knew I’d be rushing out by the time we said goodbye. You are not great at keeping me on time for things.”

            “Me?” Anna placed her hand over her chest, feigning innocence. “When have I ever made you late for anything?”

            “How about when we had phone sex for so long that I almost missed my flight – that I was flying. That’s damn hard to do.”  
            “I remember no such thing.”

            “My boss does. I told him my aunt was sick and I was on the phone with her. Had to keep lying about it for a week after that flight out of Albuquerque.”

            “Clearly you just need to be a better liar.”

            “Please, you’d have just blurted it out if it’d been you. You can’t keep a secret for your life.”

            _I haven’t blurted anything out. Okay, I have, but not to her._ “I can so!”

            She smirked. “Oh yeah, what’s the biggest secret you’ve ever kept?”  
            _I’ll have you know I’m in love with my sister._ “That’s a trick question. Besides, you know the biggest secret is that doctor’s trip after you got a little carried away with your chocolate syrup thing. Haven’t mentioned that to a soul.”

            “You tasted amazing. I wasn’t thinking.”

            “I still owe you payback for that.”

            Her eyes widened. “And how do you intend to do that?”

            “Oh, just wait and see. When you least expect it, I’ll – um...” She paused, staring off at the far wall of her room. _Now I’m on the spot and I have no idea. I’m pretty sure sleeping with my sister would be escalating a bit too far._ “I’ll make you babysit Olaf?”

            “The horror. How ever would I manage? If only I had a bunch of Star Trek games that I could play with him or something. Oh, wait, I do.”

            She glared at the screen. “Well then, I’ll take you up on that. You and Olaf can stay home while I hang out with Giselle or Esmeralda.”

            “All right. Bring me back a slice of cake.”

            “I hadn’t really decided where I’d go or anything.”

            “Like you’d go someplace that didn’t have cake.”

            _Does baklava count? I don’t think my pizza place has cake._ “Fine, I’ll bring you back cake.”

            “All right. Then Olaf and I can play some more Birth of the Federation. Sounds like a fun night.”

            Anna leaned back against the pillow, fighting back a sudden yawn. It was a little after nine, and she was still having trouble adapting to Eastern time. “What time is it there?”

            “Like seven. Oh, shit, it’s 7:10. I knew I’d end up running late. I love you. Glad we got to have some fun last night. Give Olaf a hug for me and say hi to Elsa and Tiana. I still can’t believe you’re staying with Tiana, that’s just so weird. She’s amazing.”

            “I’ll tell her you said that.”

            Her face turned red. “Do you think she’ll remember me?”

            Giggling, Anna kicked the phone over. “Get going.”

            “Fine. Love you, I’ll text you when I get there.”

            “Love you too. Have a safe flight.”

            The phone clicked as the call ended, and Anna was left staring up at her ceiling in silence. _I do love her. I know I do. I just wish Elsa would quit driving me so crazy. I barely talked to her yesterday after I actually fell asleep in her arms on Tuesday. What the hell am I doing here? I should’ve stayed in Ohio with Moana. Then I’d just be happy and in love instead of – whatever this is. God damn it, why did I keep going so far. I knew it wasn’t a date. She was just so sweet and so beautiful and I wasn’t at all subtle, she’s probably already figured me out. God, what if she knows?_

            “Mama?” Olaf’s voice came from her door. _I can worry later._

            She opened the door and let him in, sitting beside him on the massive plush bed. “You okay?”

            “Yeah.” He yawned, blinking away sleep. “I just heard you talking in here. Was that Aunt Moana?”

            “Yeah. She said to give you this.” She pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around him.

            He hugged her back, nuzzling against her arm. “Oh, I thought it’d be a present.”

            “She gave you that Switch game you were playing on the plane, was that not enough?”

            “I guess it was,” he mumbled.

            _She spoils my son._ “Have you been playing it anymore?”

            “Yeah.” His petulant look melted into an eager grin. “I just finished one of the stories. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a lot of reading.”

            “That’s a good thing. It’ll just make you a better reader and that’ll make school easier. I wish I’d read more in my free time when I was a kid, it would’ve made college a lot easier.” _How did I end up as an English teacher? I barely even speak it._

 “If I read more will you buy me a book?”

            “Sure, what book do you want?” _I’ll spoil him all he wants if it’ll help him get ahead._

            He pursed his lips, squinting at her. He was very clearly not prepared for this question. He’d read a few picture books on his own, but she still had to help him out with much more than that. Maybe it was finally time to upgrade him to the real thing. She wondered if Elsa had any of their books from when they were young. _I wonder if he’d like Harriet the Spy. I know I loved that as a kid, and I think I had a few Hank the Cowdog and Wishbone books he’d probably like._ “Star Wars?”

            “Sure, I’ll get you a Star Wars book.”

            “There are really Star Wars books?” His jaw dropped. “I want all of them!”  
            “If Moana’s bookshelf is anything to go by there are Star Trek books too.”

            “I didn’t see them! I would read one!”

            “I’ll see if I can get her to send you a few.”  
            “Yes! Thank you, Mama.”

            _Well, that was easy. And free._ “Have you brushed your teeth?”

            “Yes.”

            “With a toothbrush and toothpaste or just with your imagination?”

            He paused. “I’ll go brush my teeth.”

            Once he’d scampered off, Anna wiped at her eyes. _I hope Belle’s actually good with kids. She seemed pretty cool, maybe a little in love with my sister, but I’m not one to judge there. At least I’ve met her, it’s better than some random babysitter._ She made her way to the bathroom to take a shower and froze when the door opened to reveal Elsa wearing only a towel. Her bedroom door slammed shut as she shoved herself back against it, cowering, her heart beating in her chest. _I hope she didn’t see me. I must have looked completely insane. Doesn’t she have her own bathroom?!_ “Anna?” Elsa called, confused.

            _Yep, she saw me._ “Sorry, I forgot my, um,” she looked around, “Towel.”

            “There’s one in there for you. Tiana was in my bathroom and I needed to get ready, I hope you don’t mind.”

            “No. It’s fine.” _Just open the door and talk to her. She’s your sister. You’ve known each other for years, what exactly are you freaking out about?_ Of course, she knew the answer to that. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

            “Okay. I’ll be downstairs.”

            _How am I so bad at hiding this?_ She slowly cracked the door open, peering out into the hallway to find it empty. She tried not to think about the way the towel had clung to Elsa as she went about her morning routine.

  

* * *

 

 

             The doorbell rang. Elsa and Anna both stared at it from opposite ends of the couch. Elsa was as dressed up as always, wearing a sleek blue dress with a neckline that plunged low enough to give Anna flashbacks to the towel incident earlier. Anna, having only brought the one nice outfit, had settled for her favorite flannel button down and a pair of slacks she’d stolen from Tiana that were a bit too loose on her ass.

            “Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Tiana muttered from the counter, where she’d been on her laptop. “I’ll get it,” she announced as she strode over to the door and it rang a second time.

            _The show was good, okay?_ “Hi, Tiana!” Belle emerged from the newly open door and wrapped her arms around the woman. “Have you been doing well? I haven’t seen you in ages.”

            “Yeah, just starting filming for a show next week. I’m glad I got to see Anna before I leave.” She opened her mouth to say something more but thought better of it. “Come on in. You can meet Olaf.”

            She waved at Elsa and Anna. “Hey, guys. Have fun at the party. I went last year, since I still worked there. It was a lot of fun. Other than Mr. Phillip trying to make a move on me after he had a few drinks. Be wary of him, Anna, he’s handsy.”

            Gulping, Anna nodded. _Elsa had said how much of a boy’s club it was. Is it really that bad? Glad I didn’t wear a skirt._ “Olaf’s upstairs playing some video game. He’s a really easy to deal with kid. I don’t think he’ll give you much trouble. If you get pizza, just make sure it’s cheese with no sauce.” Tiana grumbled. “He’s a really picky eater.”

            Smiling, Belle nodded as she committed this to memory. “Of course. I used to babysit a bunch when I was in high school and college. There was no way I could refuse when Elsa asked.”

            “Olaf!” Anna called.

            “Coming, mama,” he replied. “Just let me save.”

            A few minutes later he made his way downstairs. Belle knelt down, bringing herself level with his eyes. “Hey, there. I’m Belle, I’m a friend of your aunt. I’m gonna be hanging out with you tonight, does that sound cool?”

            “I’m Olaf.” He held out his hand. _He’d hugged his first few sitters. I hope this isn’t a bad sign. He has been a little more reclusive of late. I know he says the divorce doesn’t bother him, but what if that’s why?_ “Do you like Star Trek?”

            She paused, staring at him. “I watched a few episodes with my friends in college. I don’t really remember them too well. The ones with Kirk.”

            “Wanna watch it?”

            She shrugged. “Sure, we can do that.”

            His face lit up and he wrapped his arms around her. _That answers that then._ Belle patted his back. “You’re gonna love it!”

            “All right, you kids have fun,” Elsa said. “I left some money for food. Thank you so much for doing this, Belle. I’m sure you and Anya had plans.”

            “She had a client she was dealing with, anyway. It was either sit at home with nothing to do or do this, it’s no trouble at all. It’s still pretty early though, doesn’t the party not start til six?”

            “Anna wanted to see the office first.”

            _Right. I forgot about that._ “Will there even still be people there? It’s almost five on a holiday.”

            Her teeth bared, Elsa met her gaze. “Yeah, they’ll be there. As I’m sure Belle can confirm, we don’t give our associates much time off.”

            “It was my pleasure working eighty-hour weeks for you. I still kind of miss it. I don’t even know what to do with the extra freedom I’ve had now that I’m down to sixty hours. I reread through the entire Harry Potter series last weekend.”

            _How?_ Elsa swung open the door. “All right, if Anya finishes up, she’s welcome to come over. Don’t let her eat Olaf.”

            Belle rolled her eyes. “She’d be far more likely to drain some of your scotch.”

            Anna’s eyes widened. “No drunk babysitting!”

            “Don’t worry. I’ll be responsible.” Belle giggled. “Now go have fun. If you see Fifi, tell her I say hi.”

            Elsa nodded, but Anna was pretty certain she was trying to figure out who Fifi was. She offered Belle a weak smile and said “I’ll try,” as they headed out.

            “You still don’t know the associates’ names?” Tiana asked as they closed the door behind them.

            “I’ve learned a few, but I don’t think we have a Fifi. Maybe she quit too?”

            “It’s probably a nickname,” Anna suggested. “Want me to go inside and ask?”

            “I’ll text her when we’re there.”

            They took Elsa’s BMW, which was again parked in the driveway, and headed to the office. Anna watched the route. _So this is the way Elsa goes every morning._ She’d taken the back seat, not wanting to have to face Elsa any more than necessary. She knew she’d have to suck it up eventually, but it could wait a little while. She would have to behave the best she could once they were there, she didn’t want to exhaust her admittedly small store of restraint before they even made it there.

            As Elsa parked in the garage of a massive skyscraper, Anna could barely believe it. She’d expected something reasonable. “This whole place is your office?”

            “Just two floors.”   
            “Oh.” _Okay, that makes sense. I was gonna say –_ She took a deep breath. This was going to be terrifying. She couldn’t let any of Elsa’s coworkers know what was going on with her. She’d been far too obvious the other day, and she wasn’t willing to put on a repeat performance. She would have to avoid drinking.

            As they made their way inside, a few people said hi to Elsa, but everyone dropped everything they were doing to see Tiana. _I should have expected this._ “I have your cookbook!”

            “I loved your guest spot last month!”  
            “I saw you on The Tonight Show.”

            Elsa ground her teeth and stared at the throng of people. “Want to leave Tiana to her fans?”

            “Is that safe?”

            “I can fire them if they pull anything.”

            Anna blinked, staring up at her sister. It had never occurred to her that she was these people’s boss. She had been so excited to meet her coworkers, it was weird to think that a lot of them were her employees. She knew the partner thing was pretty new, but it was strange to think just how far Elsa had come while she was only teaching at a different school. “Yeah, all right.”

            Elsa grabbed her hand and pulled her through the mob. They parted the second they saw her face. Anna tried very hard not to enjoy holding hands with her big sister too much. _Moana. I love Moana. Think about Moana._ She wasn’t sure that it worked, but it distracted her for long enough that they’d made their way to a back corner of the office, where a few more lawyers sat in cubicles. One glanced up at her. “Did you need something, Ms. Agnarrsen?”

            She shook her head. “Just showing my little sister around,” she paused for barely a moment, “how’s the Bronson case going, Michaels?”

            Smiling faintly, he offered a shrug. “Deposition on Monday, we’ll see how it goes from there.”

            She nodded and swept Anna along. “All right, you wanted to meet Thermopolis, her desk is around here somewhere.”

            _I’m really getting to be part of Elsa’s life again. This is where she works. These are the people that work for her. It’s weird, but it’s amazing._ She found herself looking down at a mousy brown haired woman behind a light wooden desk in a cubicle near the back wall. “Hi,” she offered.

            “This is my sister, Anna,” Elsa explained. “She’s joining us for the Fourth of July party, and I promised I’d let her meet a few people before you’re all black out drunk.”

            “Oh no, was I supposed to wait until the party to start drinking?!”

            “As long as it doesn’t affect the quality of your work I suppose I’m not too concerned. Just don’t let it happen in court,” Elsa replied.

            Anna stared between them, waiting for either to crack a smile. _Are they joking? I mean, drinking isn’t okay at work, right? Despite what Carl seems to think._

            Neither one cracked.

            “Okay, that was a joke, right?” Her shoulders sank as she looked between the two. She wanted to be a good sport, but they weren’t playing fair.

            “Of course,” Elsa replied, “We save the office drinking for casual Friday.”

            Anna’s eyes narrowed. “Did you set her up for this?”

            “She didn’t,” Mia answered. “I just went for it. Worst case I lose the best job I’ve ever had, I figured it was worth it.”

            “We are clearly not assigning you enough work if this is the best job you’ve ever had.”

            “Hey, if it’ll get me in court some more, I’ll happily take the extra work. My last four malpractice cases all settled within a day of me filing them. Come on, I spent all that time working with you, now I just want to actually be out there.”

            Elsa’s predatory grin made Anna’s stomach do a few somersaults. “I know the feeling. Once you get past the nervousness, it’s just the best thing in the world. Tell you what, I actually have a case that is supposed to go to trial next week. I was going to see if I could pawn it off on Gaston since he doesn’t seem to have any work he actually does anymore, but how about I give it to you? I wanted to take this month off unless there was any emergency. It won’t be anything too fun, just an auto insurance case, but they’ve been supremely difficult and I promise it won’t be settled before trial.”

            “I’ll take it. It’ll be a nice break from my wrongful death cases. What’s it about?”

            “Vehicular manslaughter by their client who also didn’t survive.” Elsa gave her a wry grin.

            She nodded her head to one side. _Is the joke that it’s the same thing? I really don’t get it._ “Still slightly different. Score. Get it to me before the party?”

            “Of course.”

            Anna folded one hand over the other, patiently watching the two. _I’m not sure what I was expecting. Who even shows off their sister to their coworkers, anyway? Maybe if I was her girlfriend – nope, stop that. Besides, she didn’t even want to show off Tiana._

“Anna, was it?” the woman asked. “I’m Amelia Thermopolis.” She extended her hand over the desk. “Your sister is the best lawyer I’ve ever seen. I’m sure growing up with her must have been really intimidating.”

            “You can’t even imagine,” Anna sighed, taking the proffered hand. “Stanford was her safety school.”

            Mia was demonstrably trying to hold back a laugh. “How am I not surprised?” she managed to spit out, taking a deep breath.

            “I was fine with going to it. I had to look after Anna. I mean it wasn’t Harvard, but what is.”

            Mia rolled her eyes. “Well, I went to UC Berkeley.”

            “How did you even get hired here?” Elsa asked, as snidely as she could manage.

            “Oh, are you from California too?” Anna smiled at her. _It’s a thing I know! It’s not a legal term. I can handle this._

            “Yeah, I grew up just a little south of San Francisco.”

            “We’re from San Francisco!”  
            Mia stared at Elsa. “I always kind of assumed she’d descended down from lawyer Asgard fully formed.”

            “Yeah, she gets that a lot.” _I can joke with them too. I’m not a complete mess._

            “So what do you do, Anna? I assume you didn’t go into the law as well?”

            Anna shook her head. “I’m a teacher. Currently teaching English at a high school in Portland, Oregon.”

            “Oh, you like it?”

            As much as high school had been a pain in her ass for the last couple years, she couldn’t help but smile thinking about how to answer that. “I really do. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. I knew I wasn’t as smart or capable as Elsa –”

            “You are so.”

            “I always wanted to teach people, make sure they have the chance to actually grow up to be super geniuses like her, and just look after them. I used to teach first grade, but even now, as much as I complain, it’s wonderful just being able to change people’s lives.” She thought about how much things had changed with Snow, how many students she’d helped. English was far from her calling, but the last six months of it had really improved, ever since she’d asked for some help and sorted her own life out. “Elsa was pretty much the same way, even as a kid she wanted to be a lawyer, you should’ve seen her practicing closing arguments as a teenager, it was adorable.”

            Elsa’s eyes narrowed. “It was for the constitutional law team, and it wasn’t closing arguments.”

            Anna pointed at her, her other hand beside her mouth. “See what I mean?” she whispered, loudly enough for either of them to hear.

            “My school had mock trial instead of con law.”

            “Mock trial is good too,” Elsa replied.

            Anna watched her. _Thinking of her like that, when she was that awkward, somehow not at all gangly because she hit her entire growth spurt in a single night, teenage girl_   _should bring me back to reality. I should remember that she’s my sister, the girl I looked up to since I was five, and should stop wanting to fuck her. I really thought it’d work. Those closing arguments were so cute._

            “I need to finish up this case, but if you could get that to me later, I’d really appreciate it. I need court so bad.” She turned to Anna, flashing a bright smile at her. “It was great meeting you, Anna. It’s nice being reminded that Ms. Superlawyer here was human once too.”

            Elsa’s smirk as they walked away was continuing to do funny things to Anna. She seemed to adore being worshiped almost as much as Tiana. “Party’s in about a half hour,” she explained. “I could show you my office, maybe introduce you to that Asshole if he’s around?”

            “Sure,” Anna agreed, not bothering to ask who she meant. She’d find out in time.

            Unfortunately, Elsa had to spend a while searching through a pile of papers to find the stuff she’d promised Mia, so Anna just got to sit in Elsa’s cushy leather chair and take in the view of the city below her, the occasional firework going off despite the ban. _So this is what Elsa sees every day. I feel like I’m queen of the world, no wonder Elsa’s so confident. Even her office builds up her ego._

            “There it is!” Elsa announced, grabbing a massive file the size of the books that Anna’s students complained about slightly more than the others. “I’m gonna go take this to her, then we can get going to the party. Sorry that took so long. I let things sort of pile up while I was clearing out all my pending cases.”

            “It’s okay. She really has to go through all of that in a week, though? My students would riot.”

            She glanced at it. “It’s fairly standard. A little under three hundred pages. She’ll be fine. She literally asked for it.”

            Her brows furrowed, but Anna nodded. _Lawyers are weird._ “All right. I’m going to spin in your chair.”

            “Have fun. It can get some pretty good speed,” she added with a faint smile as she walked out. Now that was a sight Anna would pay to see.

    

* * *

 

 

            A little before seven, people had started making their way to the roof. Up there, a long table was set up with food and drinks, there was music playing, and around forty people were milling about, talking, dancing, or looking over the city. There were sparse fireworks already going off, though they were a few miles from either of the big shows that night.

            “The quality has really gone downhill,” Tiana mused, taking a bite of a shrimp cocktail. “Not bad though, just nothing like when I was catering here.”

            “You’re a bit out of our price range,” Elsa countered.

            “You could afford me.”

            A man that Anna didn’t recognize approached them, carrying a few shrimp and a glass of champagne. “Ms. Agnarrsen, pleased to see you brought Ms. Rose again. Always a pleasure.” He held his hand out to her.

            Tiana took it. “Mr. Phillip, it’s been too long.”

            “And who’s this fetching young lady?”

            “That would be my sister,” Elsa replied, glaring at the man. “Mind your manners.”

            “Have I ever not?” He looked genuinely offended, his eyes narrowing as he stared between the two of them. “Well, Ms. Agnarrsen as well then?”

            Anna nodded.

            “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Your sister is one of our best attorneys, our newest partner, and already making us a fortune.”

            “Of course, some of us have to actually deal with clients.”

            His toothy grin surprised Anna. She’d expected that to offend him. “I’ll see about it someday, but everyone I gathered when I started here just never leaves me any openings. Maybe when you pull as many whales as I have you won’t have to work so much either.”

            “We all aspire to reach your level of complacency.”

            His grin only widened. “It gives me the time to plan these parties. Speaking of, I hope you all have fun, I have to make the rounds.”

            “That was weird,” Anna sighed, staring up at her sister.

            “I think he’s had a few drinks. That was a surprisingly in-depth conversation by his standards.”

            Tiana shook her head. “How on earth is he still around? Didn’t you say he only works around two days a week?”

            Elsa shrugged. “Most of the time, but when he has a case he manages it, and the guy both brought in and still brings in a lot of money. He’s the only person who’s had his name added up there since they started. While I don’t intend to let that last, it should tell you a lot about him.”

            “Huh.” Anna stared after him. Elsa she could see as being that great, as just showing up and beating out everyone else and making a name for herself – she might not know how it all worked, but she was fairly sure that had to at least be part of the process. She could not see it for him. “Really?” she asked incredulously.

            “He’s basically the king of class actions. Even managed to beat a tobacco company. That’s what set him on the fast track. He annoys the hell out of me, but I won’t pretend he isn’t a great lawyer.”

            Anna didn’t bother to ask what any of that meant.

            “I’m gonna go make nice with a few of my associates. I don’t know them well enough to make introductions, so you two try to enjoy the party. I’ll be right back.” Elsa walked over to a group of young people standing awkwardly at the edge of the party in suits that weren’t quite as well-fitted as those of a few of the older attorneys there.

            Anna tried very hard not to stare after her. She didn’t come close to succeeding, but the valiance of her attempt should not be understated. “Quite a view, isn’t it?” A voice next to her asked.

            Anna jumped back, looking around to find a tall, heavily muscled man, in a sleek grey suit, standing over her. “Uh, yeah. It’s beautiful up here. You can see the whole city.”

            “Oh, is that you were staring at?” He smirked.

            Anna swallowed, looking around for Tiana. She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or scared when she found that she was back at the snack bar. _At least she didn’t overhear that._ “I – yeah, I mean, of course. I wasn’t, I mean.” She offered a weak smile. “Hi.”

            He quirked an eyebrow at her, shaking his head. “I promise, I’m totally cool with gay people now. I’m actually a friend of hers. I’m Albert, do you know Elsa?”

            _Lie. Just lie._ “Yeah, I’m her sister.” She took a deep breath, trying very hard to think of how she’d fucked up this badly. _I mean, he’s a friend of hers, so if I lied then he’d find out. I wasn’t just panicking and doing something stupid. I’m fine._ “We’d just been talking, I was just looking after her.”

            He blinked, his brows knitting together. “Oh?”

            “Yes?”

            “By staring at her ass?”

            _I hadn’t been. Had I? She tried to think for a minute. She recalled noticing just how well the dress outlined it._ “What? I wasn’t.” She forced out a giggle, trying to play it off as if it was the most absurd thing anyone had ever said.  
            “Hey, I’m not judging. I had a huge crush on my cousin when I was younger, and I mean, anyone who doesn’t find Elsa hot is probably not alive. Don’t tell her I said that.”

            She let out a shaky breath. She wanted to argue with him, to insist that he didn’t know what he was talking about. However, she also kinda wanted his advice on the situation. “Let’s go grab a drink.” She hoped that would buy her time to figure things out, but she had the sinking suspicion that she just wanted to be slightly less sober when she confessed everything.

            “Sure. How about instead of the swill we serve up here, we grab some of the much better stuff I have in my office. You share Elsa’s taste? I just got a new bottle of scotch in that I’d been wanting to share with her, but I think this would be a worthy cause.” He smiled, beckoning for her to follow as he led the way back to the elevator.

            _Elsa’s mentioned him, so I guess I can trust him, just never love the idea of leaving a party with some strange man._ “We’ll be right back after?”

            “Of course. We can talk up here if you want, I just figured you’d prefer the privacy and a better drink.”

            Biting her lip, Anna nodded. “Okay.”

            In his office, she sank into a magnificently lush leather chair. “I don’t need the nice scotch or anything. Maybe wine?” She considered just what she was about to confess. “Or tequila?”

            “I have a bottle of tequila I got on my last trip to Mexico.” He opened the liquor cabinet to grab it.

            “The kind with the worm?”

            “Yup.”

            She hesitated. _Esmeralda would be proud._ “Fine.” After draining her second glass she met his eyes, still desperate to just turn back. Once he knew, there was no going back from there. “Okay, so maybe you’re a little right. I mean, I might’ve been checking her out, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m madly in love with my sister and have been since I saw her for Christmas.”

            “I wasn’t assuming it did.”

            “Good.”

            “Does it?” He offered a warm smile, his teeth almost seeming to sparkle, and took a sip of his own. He seemed to be matching her pace and was on his third glass of tequila.

            “Yes.”

            The glass clanked on the table and he set a massive hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. Elsa’s an amazing woman, there’s nothing wrong with loving her.”

            _Well, that’s three people saying that. Only Nani seems to really be against it. Maybe it isn’t quite as horrible as it sounds._ “Even though she’s my sister?”

            He shrugged his massive shoulders. “Doesn’t change a thing.” He finished off the drink before continuing. “Have you told her?”

            Staring into her tequila, she wished she felt more like drinking it. She wanted to just tell him everything, and hated how much easier that was than drowning her fears. _How am I so comfortable just telling everyone about my incestuous desires? I barely even needed the second drink, and that’s just because he knows Elsa. I even blurted it out to my ex-girlfriend with little prompting._ “No. I want to, so absurdly badly, but she’s getting married, and I know she doesn’t feel the same way.”

            “Seems to me then that this is the best time to do so.”

            “Huh?”

            “She’s getting married. You don’t really have another chance unless things go badly, and it’s pretty clear from how you act around her that you can’t just put it off forever. Maybe she needs to hear it.” She could see why Elsa counted him as a friend. He was offering better advice than anyone else she’d asked. Giselle and Esmeralda did little more than egg her on, and Nani just insisted that it was a terrible idea. “I’m not saying she’ll drop everything and get together with you, but if it’s eating you up so much that you can’t even keep it together in public, it’s probably worth letting it out.”

            Now she wanted the drink. She drained the rest of her glass and stared at the bottle. _Probably shouldn’t get too drunk at Elsa’s office, and I’m already about at my limit._ “I don’t want to mess things up for her and Tiana. And especially since I’m staying here for four more weeks. It would make things too awkward.”

            “If you think Elsa can’t handle something like this, I don’t know why you’re in love with her. She’s mentioned you, a lot. You mean the world to her. Just be honest with her.”

            Chewing on her lip, she nodded. “Fine, but if she kicks me out, then you have to let me stay at your place.”

            “Oh no, a beautiful woman in my apartment, the worst possible thing.”

            “I have a son.”

            “I’m great with kids.” He flashed that same smile.

            “I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises.”

            “Just do what you think is best. I only want you to know that Elsa won’t freak out like you think she will. It might shock her, but she’s really not the type to throw away someone important to her over that. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be my best friend after all the shit I’ve pulled.” He stood, locking up the bottle of tequila. “Probably shouldn’t drink anymore tonight, I’m being open and honest, it’s weird.”

            “She’s done it before,” Anna muttered, staring at her empty glass.

            “Done what?”

            “Thrown it all away, just because I hurt her feelings when I moved.”

            Sighing, he leaned against her chair. “She told me. We drink together a lot, it opens her up, and it’s the biggest regret of her life. I promise she’s not doing anything like that again.”

            The tequila glass blurred slightly, and she wiped away a tear, sniffling lightly. “You’re right. Thank you.”

            “It’s no problem. Let’s get back to the party before your sister thinks I’ve kidnapped you.”

            “She’d beat you up.”

            “She probably could too. The girl’s a little scary.”

            Anna nodded. _She really is._

Back at the party, they found Elsa bickering with Tiana over whether the crab puffs actually had crab in them. _God, she must be drunk if she’s arguing food with Tiana._ “Seriously, look at it, that is imitation crab.” Tiana insisted.

            “You have taught me enough that I can tell the difference. I like sushi and I know what crab tastes like, at least some of it is real.”

            “Don’t let me interrupt,” Albert offered, beaming at the two. “I’m never one to stop a cat fight.”

            “Unfortunately, you didn’t set up the kiddie pool full of oil, so that’ll have to wait,” Tiana replied, still glaring at Elsa. “I’d definitely be up for it though.”

            “He always forgets that,” he opined. "This is why I should be in charge of party planning.”

            “It’s the most important part of any party, save for the spread. He failed on both counts.”

            Snickering, Elsa finally noticed Anna. “Hey, I was looking for you. I see you found Gaston?”

            “You mean Albert?” Anna asked.

            “Yeah, it’s his last name. I trust you weren’t creeping on my little sister?” Her eyes narrowed as she stared up at him.

            “Wouldn’t dream of it. Now if she was straight, I’d reconsider, she is pretty cute.”

            “I actually know a straight girl that looks like me,” Anna mused. “She’s taken though.” _And increasingly less straight if Esmeralda is any sign._

“Why does everyone look like Anna?” Elsa grumbled, seemingly to herself.

            “That’s fine, I’m terrible at relationships, anyway.” He laughed, snatching the now abandoned crab puff from Tiana’s plate. “Just saying your sister’s hot.”

            Elsa elbowed him in the stomach. “Creep.”

            “Little bit.”

            It surprised Anna to find that being around Elsa wasn’t as scary now. She had committed herself to talking to her about it and it made a big difference. Actually doing so would still be terrifying, but maybe now that she could pretend to be a semi-functional human being around her things would be easier. She was so glad she’d talked to him. Now she just needed to get up the nerve to talk to her.


	43. Elsa - Is My Sister in Love With Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Captain Marvel and Devil May Cry 5 are likely to be occupying my evening, I figured I’d be nice and release the chapter a little early. Hope you all enjoy. It’s a good one.

            Pulling up to the departures gate of the JFK Airport, Elsa rested her hand on Tiana’s thigh. She always hated dropping her off. It was somehow less painful when she just vanished while Elsa was at work, but since she was taking the time off, she couldn’t not take her. “You’ll actually call this time?” she asked, finding herself more passive aggressive than she meant to be.

            Nodding, Tiana bit her lip and blinked back tears. “I will. You’re my fiancee, and I’m learning. I won’t just leave you high and dry for most of the week. I’ll be extraordinarily busy, but I’ll do my best to find time. Whenever we’re shooting, they work us about 6 am to 6 pm.

            “Twelve hour work days, can’t even imagine what’s that like.” She managed a sardonic grin, she couldn’t just not snark at Tiana, that would only make parting more painful.

            “I know.” She sighed, her gaze falling on the glass walls of the building. “Wanna help me with the bags?”

            Elsa nodded and popped the locks on the car. They made their way around to the back, and Tiana wrapped her arms around her before she even had the chance to open the trunk. You and Anna have fun, okay? Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

            “Well, I really wasn’t planning on doing any of the things you would do with my sister.”

            “A girl can dream. Seriously though, have fun, I’m so glad that you’re getting to spend time with her.” She pulled back, wiping a tear from Elsa’s cheek that she hadn’t even realized she’d shed. “I love you.”

            “I love you too.” Cupping her chin, Elsa pulled Tiana into a kiss, her partner falling against her, the distance between them vanishing. She hated how soon that distance would reassert itself.

            When they pulled away, Elsa wiped off a tear from her chin and she was genuinely uncertain which of them it had belonged to. “God, we’re sappy. It’s just a week. I guess it’s just the first time I’ve ever had to say goodbye to my fiancee.”

            “Please, you’re just annoyed you won’t have me there to look after Olaf.”

            “That’s what Belle’s for.”

            “Well, I’m glad I’m so replaceable.” She kissed Elsa’s cheek and yanked the trunk open, grabbing her bags on her own. “Give Anna a kiss for me. I’ll text when I land, and I promise I’ll call tonight.”

            _I hate that it took us getting engaged for her to finally care about that, but I’ll take it._ “All right. Go get in there before your plane takes off. I’ll talk to you tonight.”

            “Until then.” As she walked away, dragging her suitcase, she blew a kiss at Elsa.

            Elsa climbed back into her car before someone would start honking and did her best to collect herself. _I do this like twenty times a year, it’s ridiculous how much it still gets to me. There’s no way I’m that much of a romantic._

            While it was a good deal out of the way, Elsa decided to swing by Oaken’s. Anna likely still hadn’t eaten, and chocolate was always her preferred method of dealing with her feelings. _And lots and lots of alcohol, but it was too early for that and there was a child in the house._ It still wasn’t exactly close, but the larger of the two establishments was less out of the way, and with its increased options, she could probably find something good for Olaf. _We can live off of chocolate croissants, but I’m not doing that to a child._

            It was strange not being greeted by her name when she was ordering, but she grabbed eight chocolate croissants – it was all they’d had, she wanted to get a dozen – a few bagels, a slice of chocolate cake, and a ham sandwich. Olaf would have to eat one of them, she hoped. In case she was wrong, she also bought a peanut butter and jelly panini. As much as she loved Oaken’s, she had to admit that the bagels looked considerably lacking compared to the ones that Anya had introduced her to, but they were even further out of the way, and she was not missing out on her croissants.

            She parked in the garage, next to Tiana’s Porsche, navigated her way around their cars with the bag of pastries, and found her way inside, to be overwhelmed by the smell of bacon and pancakes. “Hey, Elsa!” Anna called.

            _I guess we’ll have these later then._ She set the bag on the counter as she walked into the kitchen and was leapt upon by Anna, who pulled her into a massive hug. “Hey,” Elsa rested a hand on her back.

            Anna pulled away, looking at the bag, “You got us breakfast? Damn – darn, I should’ve asked.” She glanced toward her son, who was working his way through two pancakes at the counter.

            “It’s fine. They’ll all still be good later. Does Olaf like ham sandwiches?”

            “I don’t think he’s had them.”

            “Well, I got him one. So if he doesn’t want it later, we can split it.”

            Anna smiled, glancing at her in an almost dreamy fashion. “Thank you. You’re amazing. Let me finish up here.” She nodded toward the table. “Everything okay with Tiana?”

            “Yeah, dropping her off is always a little emotional, but I think she’s really excited to do her show. She hasn’t been on TV in at least a week.” She took a seat beside Olaf. “How’re the pancakes?”

            “They’re good,” he muttered, staring hesitantly at his mother.

            “Still not as good as Kristoff’s?” she asked.

            “I mean –” he paused, staring down at the plate. “I don’t know.”

            Elsa stole a bite from him. They definitely weren’t Tiana’s, the batter was still a little liquidy in the center, and it was too crispy on the edges. “Make them a little thinner, I think that’s the only issue. Then maybe you’ll be able to beat that big lug’s. I’ll steal the rest of his, so he still has room.”

            She swiped his remaining pancake, receiving a confused look from the boy. “But it’s mine.”

            “Sue me. I can find you a good lawyer.”

            He slowly grinned, snorting out a little laugh and chomping on a chewy piece of bacon. _Anna was never too big on burnt bacon. Our parents worried that it was undercooked when I made it, but it was the only way she’d eat it. I guess he’s about the same._

            Anna carried out another pancake for Olaf and two more for Elsa. “They’re a little thinner this time. They’re not burnt, right? They’re okay?” She glanced between them, nervously staring at their plates.

            Olaf studied the pancake, lifting it gingerly with his fork before tossing some powdered sugar on it and taking a hesitant bite. “No, it’s good. Really good.”

            Elsa drizzled syrup over her own and took a bite of the stack. Olaf was right. It still wasn’t the best she’d ever had, but it was a lot fluffier and more consistent, and tasted about as good as pancakes from mix can taste. “It’s delicious. Thank you, Anna.”

            She grinned and went back to work, making some more for herself and for Elsa. Olaf had already hit his limit. She and Elsa made it through three each and casually munched on bacon as Olaf returned to his Switch game – after being reminded to wash his hands.

            Elsa rested her elbow on the counter, staring off at the stairs. “He really likes that game.”

            “I think he might just really like Moana,” Anna sighed.

            Elsa glanced at her, seeing the unease in her features. “You don’t need to worry. Even if she ends up as his stepmother, she’ll never replace you. He adores you, Anna.”

            “I know. That’s not what I’m worried about. It’s just –” she took a sip of her orange juice, “I don’t know. I’m getting ahead of myself. I’m glad that the two of them get along.”

            “He reminds me so much of you,” Elsa mused, still watching where he’d disappeared.

            “Really? I remember when I was a kid, I was way worse than him.”

            “You really weren’t. I mean yeah, you acted out some, but that was mostly just to get our parents’ attention, and you never did it around me. You were picky, maybe not as quiet, but you were smart and shy, and you absolutely adored everything that you loved, to the point of obsession.”

            “What do you mean? I didn’t spend hours in my room playing video games. I know I played them some, but not like he has been of late. You don’t think it’s the divorce do you?”

            Finally turning to meet her sister, Elsa shook her head. “I recall you spending most of a week playing Final Fantasy when you were around five. Just because you spent it in the living room doesn’t change that. You didn’t have a TV in your room until you were older.”

            “That’s not the point!”

            “I remember a night when you actually fell asleep in front of the TV and then as soon as you woke up you started playing it again. I’d just wrapped a blanket around you on the couch since I couldn’t get you to your room.” Elsa chewed on a strip of bacon. “It was honestly adorable, but I was so frustrated. Eventually, I just gave up and you let me use the other controller. I never did get to watch that episode of Magic Schoolbus.”

            Anna narrowed her eyes, meeting Elsa’s gaze. “That’s not true! I remember, because I needed your help to read it back then. So there’s no way I could’ve played it that much on my own.”

            “You still managed.”

            Grumbling, Anna set her orange glass on the counter. “Still wasn’t that bad.”

            “You kinda were. You were such a nerd as a kid.”

            “I wasn’t! I played volleyball and stuff. I was a Girl Scout!”

            “Yes, the least nerdy thing imaginable, I’m sorry.”

            “As long as you can admit it.” She held her chin high, proudly maintaining her victory.  
            Elsa rose from the bar stool and gathered their plates, taking them over to the seat. “We could invite him down here, maybe even all play a game together. Is there a new Street Fighter or Smash Bros? I remember being okay at those.”

            “Actually, there are. There’s a new one of each, though we only have Smash Bros. He’s actually not that into fighting games.”

            “Oh, is there something he’d rather play, then?” Elsa hesitated, looking back to her sister.

            “No, he loves Smash Bros, just not other games like it. He absolutely adores Mario. I’m sure he’ll have to find a save point, but I’ll go ask him.”

            “All right. I’ll go unplug something so we have a spare HDMI port.”

            Within twenty minutes, they were all playing. They only had two proper controllers, but Olaf volunteered to use the Joy-Cons ones. Anna and Olaf were both holding their own against each other, but Elsa had absolutely no idea what she was doing. She hadn’t played anything like it since back when the Nintendo 64 was still relevant. “How do I do that move you did? The one to get back up in the arena.”

            Anna pointed at her controller and demonstrated the up-b move for Elsa’s Zelda.

            They whiled away the day playing it and Mario Kart. By the time they switched games, Elsa had even managed to win a couple of the matches. She had only needed to be on a team for one of those victories. When they started Mario Kart, however, she was actually consistently trouncing both of them, coming in first or second place most games. “You’re cheating,” Anna insisted, “This is just what driving in New York is like normally.”

            “It just means I’ve had practice.”

            “You can throw shells at people in New York?” Olaf asked, his mouth hanging open.

            “It’s illegal, but it still happens. Blue shells get you life though.”

            “Wow.”  
            Anna giggled. “This is why we could just never live in New York. That crack down on shells is absurd.”

            “Well, that’s a shame, I’d love it if you lived here.”

            Anna’s car fell off the course, missing an easy jump.

            “You okay?”

            “Yeah, my controller wasn’t reading,” she insisted, clearing her throat.

            Fortunately, her controller seemed to work the rest of the day. They played until dinner, when Elsa and Anna were both thrilled to find that Olaf actually liked the plain ham sandwich that Elsa had procured for him. “It’s great!”

            He enjoyed the PB and J as well, and took half of the slice of cake before asking, “Can I go play more Octopath? I want to beat this boss.”

            “You have to eat the cake down here,” Anna replied. “You’re not leaving crumbs in Elsa’s guest room.”

            “Tiana would be upset,” Elsa agreed.

            He begrudgingly enjoyed his cake at the table and then ran off, grabbing the Switch from its cradle before heading upstairs. Once he was gone, Anna grabbed a second croissant for the two of them. “Do you think we’re being bad role models? Having chocolate croissants for dinner, I mean.”

            “Nah, it gives him something to look forward to in adulthood.”

            “When you say it like that, being an adult is amazing. I always forget that I could just have chocolate for every meal.”

            “You’re lucky, Tiana would actually kill me if I did. We could heat up one of her meals if you want something more substantial.”

            Glancing at the fridge, Anna pursed her lips. “I do want that, but right now I really just need all of the chocolate. Let’s be bad today. We deserve it, and I definitely need it.”

            Smiling at her, Elsa asked, “Why, something up?”

            Anna hesitantly shook her head. “Not really. I just was hoping we could really talk tonight. I mean we have been, but like, I want to really get deep with you – like, knowing you intimately – I mean better, we’ve been so surface for like twelve years, I feel like I barely know what’s in your head anymore.”

            “This is gonna require alcohol.”

            “I’ll make margaritas.”

            “No argument here.” Elsa held her hands up in capitulation. “Margaritas and chocolate sounds like the best night.”

            “I hope it will be.” Grinning, Anna found the ingredients and Tiana’s extremely expensive and fancy blender. “Giselle says I make the best margaritas.”

            “What’s Esmeralda say? It sounds like she’s the better judge from what you’ve said.”

            “She says they’re not quite as good as Jimmy Buffett’s. I’m not sure if she means his restaurants or in person, she refused to specify.”

            Elsa chuckled, beaming at her sister. “I definitely have to meet her next time I come to town. I’m glad you have such great friends, it’s something I’d been rather lacking in for a while.”

            “What are you talking about?” Anna finished pouring in the tequila and less important ingredients and began mixing their drinks, causing the conversation to pause. When it was finished, Elsa hoped she’d forgotten the topic. “I’ve met Anya, and Belle, and even Albert. They all care about you so much, and they seem great. How do you not have friends?”

            “I do now, but I had kind of let it all fall by the wayside for so long. Work was completely my obsession. Are the drinks done? I hate talking like this sober.”

            She was promptly handed a massive salt-rimmed glass of the green slurry. “Have a taste.”

            “Shit.” Elsa blinked, licking her lips. “That’s amazing.”

            “And you thought I couldn’t cook.” She grinned, gesturing toward the living room, where they flopped onto the couch with their overfilled margaritas. Anna took a healthy gulp and looked prepared to say something when she hesitated. “I’m sorry that you were dealing with that.”

            “It’s fine. Honestly, I hadn’t even noticed for the longest time. It was just Tiana and work and that was enough for me. Then I finally heard from you, and it reminded me that there was a whole world out there. I’d accomplished almost everything I’d dreamed, I had an even more accomplished partner, but I’d abandoned so much in the process.” She swallowed, the drink making the action more pleasant. _I hate thinking that I’m the one that abandoned anyone. For so long I knew it was her, but if I’d just talked to her, she wouldn’t have been gone from my life. She didn’t run off to Portland to get away from me, she did it because she wanted me to have my freedom, my life, and I never even tried to let her know that I wanted her to be part of it._

            Anna nervously touched her forearm. “It’s not your fault, Elsa. Like you told me, you were working eighty-hour weeks, there’s no way you would have had time for everyone. You weren’t doing anything intentionally.”

            “But I was. I just didn’t care about anything else. All I cared about was making partner. Now I’m an equity partner, I have enough money that if I wanted I could never work another day in my life, and hell, I’m even getting married,” she stared at the ring on her finger before draining the rest of her drink, “And that’s all kinds of confusing, but I have practically everything I ever wanted. I still need to get my name on the wall, but then what? If it wasn’t for you dragging me out of that state, I wouldn’t be sharing it with anyone.”

            “You’d still have Tiana,” Anna offered.

            “Yeah,” she sighed. “I would. Though she’s also getting married, so that’d be a weird thing to share with her.” Elsa managed a slight snort. “Besides, she’s not around often enough to share much with.” _Well fuck, I said it._ “I’m gonna go refill my glass. You want more?”

            Anna nodded, looking up at her. After a moment, she threw herself to her feet. “No, you sit back down, I’ll get it.”

            Elsa drained half of the drink, earning herself a bit of brain freeze, before she set the glass back down. She stared at it, unsure of what to say. The cat was out of the bag and she so desperately wanted to shove it back in there.

            “Her being gone really bothers you, doesn’t it?”

            “Honestly, whenever I get home and she’s here, I’m shocked. I know how much her career means to her, and I’d never even consider asking her to give it up, especially after everything I’ve done for mine, but it’s hard knowing you’ll always be second place. I’m trying so hard to not make work my only priority, and I don’t think she’s really doing the same.”

            Anna wiped at her eyes. “I’m sure she’s trying her best.”  
            “Maybe now. We’ve talked about it a lot, and she swears that she’ll be better. Now that we’re engaged, she’s trying so much harder.” Her eyes widened and she grabbed the buzzing phone from the nearby coffee table. There was a message saying ‘Just landed. I’ll call you later, Love you.’ It was better than she’d feared, but it was late enough that she should’ve called. They weren’t even filming until the next day. She typed out a quick reply and set the phone on the armrest. “At least she messaged me.”

            Nodding, Anna snatched her drink and took a large swallow. “Is that enough?” she asked, her voice quavering.

            Elsa stared at her, she wasn’t sure how to answer. She honestly didn’t know. “Maybe.”

            Her back stiffened, and she set the glass down with both hands, sitting cross-legged on the couch as she turned to fully face Elsa. “Is this what you want?”

            “What, margaritas and chocolate croissants?” She took a bite of her briefly forgotten croissant. “Yes, this is absolutely what I want right now.”

            A nervous grin met Elsa’s gaze. Anna paused, searching for words. “Do you want to marry her?”

            Elsa’s jaw dropped. She wanted to be offended, to storm off, to at least have a response other than draining the rest of her margarita, but that was all she could offer. She’d been asking herself that a lot of late. _When she proposed, all of my doubts vanished, I thought I could really do this, that we could make it work. I’d been so worried before then, but it seemed like she’d addressed all of my concerns, and like she’d really try. And she has been. She hasn’t even flirted with Anna, she messaged me when she landed, she’s doing everything she should be. It hasn’t even been a week. Why am I already doubting so much again?_

            “Elsa?”

            “I’m not sure.” Tears streamed down her face as she turned away from Anna. “I don’t know anymore. I love her, but we don’t want the same things anymore, and I don’t know if that’ll ever change. I’d already been worried that we wouldn’t work out, and now here I am about to commit to her and I am so scared. I’ve been trying so hard to fight it, but I just don’t know. Anna, what the hell do I do?”

            When she turned back, she didn’t find an answer. Instead, she felt her sister’s lips press against hers, before she saw her pull back, teal eyes wide and terrified. “I – I didn’t mean to do that.” She stood up, staring at the drinks, at Elsa’s lips, at the stairs, “I’m so sorry. It’s just the margaritas. I wasn’t thinking.”

            “Anna.”

            “I should go.”

            Elsa threw herself to her feet, kissing Anna back. Her lips were soft, safe, familiar somehow. The kiss only lasted a moment, but it felt so nice to have some sort of grounding, to have someone there for her, someone who wouldn’t just disappear the next minute. It wasn’t that she thought it was something she really wanted; she didn’t think at all, she only felt wanted, needed, safe, and desperate to ease the fears in Anna’s eyes. It was only a kiss, she could give her that.

            _What the fuck am I doing?_ She pulled back, staring at Anna. “I have to go.” She took another step back, watching Anna’s face fall. _Abandoning her again. Great._ “I just need a minute.” She turned around and ran upstairs, collapsing onto her bed. _What the hell was that? Why did Anna kiss me? Why did I kiss her back?_

She didn’t go back downstairs, so she missed Tiana’s call, but she didn’t hear a word from anyone else. She didn’t bother to watch TV or anything, she just laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as thoughts raced through her mind. She looked back on all of Anna’s weird behavior, on everything she’d said, and on the intensity of the two kisses. _Is my sister in love with me?_


	44. Anna - Sorry I Kissed Your Fiancée

_ What have I done?  _ Her fingers traced along her lips, she could still feel where Elsa had just been.  _ She kissed me back. _ She stared after Elsa, hoping desperately that she’d return, that they could talk, that she could explain herself. She couldn’t just pretend that nothing had happened, not when she’d finally just thrown it all on the table.  _ I should give her time. _

She collapsed back onto the couch, her mostly empty margarita glass taunting her from the coffee table. “I blame you,” she muttered at it. She didn’t. She blamed herself, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about kissing Elsa for months. Of course, when she had the chance with even the slightest excuse, she’d take it. “Elsa,” she sighed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please don’t hate me.”

She stared at the wall, trying to will a solution to come to life. There was no way Elsa would ever talk to her again.  _ She kissed back though. Maybe she wants me. But then why would she run off like that? Please say she just needs time. I can’t have ruined things with her all over again. I need her in my life.  _

Blinking away tears, she pulls herself to her feet. Talking to Elsa was the only choice. She could say that it was fine if she didn’t feel the same way, that she was sorry, that she wanted to still be her sister.  _ I have to tell her how much she means to me.  _

As she hesitantly edged along to the stairs, which seemed more daunting than she could have imagined, Elsa’s phone rang. It was Tiana. There was the call Elsa had been waiting for. Tiana wasn’t ignoring her at all. Anna had just attempted to ruin a perfectly healthy relationship, just because she was head over heels for her sister.  _ I am the absolute worst.  _

She grabbed the phone, unable to bring herself to answer it.  _ What would I even say to her? ‘Sorry I kissed your fiancee. I’ll kiss you too if it’ll help.’ Actually, that might work.  _ She crept up to Elsa’s door and knocked on it. After a moment passed with no response, the phone still ringing, she tried pushing it open a crack and peaking in.

Elsa was asleep. Or at least she appeared to be. Anna set the phone on the dresser and retreated from her sister’s room. She didn’t deserve to be there. She could hear the music from Olaf’s game coming from his room. He couldn’t see her like this. There was something she needed to do. It would hurt so much, but after what she’d done, there was no avoiding it. She’d cheated on Moana. She deserved better than that.

The realization hit her like a load of rocks. She hadn’t thought of Moana this entire time. It only clicked now, probably because she’d given him that game.

She headed back downstairs, crossed into the garage and sat on the hood of Elsa’s car. It was unreasonably humid in the confined space, but she didn’t want to risk Olaf overhearing anything, and she definitely wasn’t up for Elsa hearing it. She needed to call Moana.

Staring at the phone, she made her way to her contacts and clicked on Giselle’s picture. Maybe she could give her the courage. 

“Hey there. Been a while.” There were sounds in the background, she might’ve been at a restaurant, it was tough to tell. It was still early there, barely even past six, Anna shouldn’t have been surprised. “Having fun with your sister?”

Anna choked on nothing, coughing up a fit in reply.

Concern crept into her voice. “Having a little too much fun?” She gasped, her voice sounding distant. “Did you tell her?”

_ Is she a mind reader?  _ “Kind of.”

“How kind of? Just telling her you love her doesn’t count.”

“I kissed her.”

Squealing, Giselle murmured something away from the phone. “You did not. Oh my god I’m so excited for you! What did she do? Is she there now? I want to know every detail.”

“She kissed me back.”

“Oh my god!”

“And then she ran away.” Anna sighed, leaning back against the car. It was nice having someone be happy about it at least, she could barely even focus on how excited she was to have finally felt Elsa’s lips on hers, all she could think of was how much she’d screwed everything up.

“Oh.” 

“What happened?” Another voice asked.

“Huh?”  _ Is that Esmeralda? You have got to be kidding me. Did they actually get together? _ “Esmeralda?”

“Hey there. Don’t worry, it’s just her, me, and Jack. Your secret is safe. Now spill. Did she say anything before she ran away?”

Anna glared at the wall. She wasn’t trying to be their entertainment; she needed advice and solace.  _ Well, Esmeralda can certainly do both of those as well as Giselle.  _ “She just said that she needed a minute.”

“Well, maybe she’ll come back. Hopefully wearing a little less. You two could have a lot of fun. I recall you’re pretty good with your mouth, make sure you show that off.”

Anna‘s cheeks heated as she did her best not to picture that. “That was over an hour ago. She’s asleep. She never came back down.”

“Oh.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Jack added. “She might just need to sleep on it. Don’t do anything too rash, you can talk about it with her tomorrow, right?”

“Like she’d even want me sleeping in her house tonight.”

“Did she say anything like that?” Giselle asked.

“Well, no.”

“Then don’t assume it.”

“Fine. I’ll try. You really think things will be any better in the morning?”

Giselle sighed. “I don’t know, but I don’t think she’ll throw you out or anything. She loves you, hell, maybe even in the way you love her. She did kiss you back, after all. Wait until you talk. You can sort everything out then.”

Anna nodded, rubbing away some new tears.  _ They’re right. I just need to give her some time and some space. When she’s ready, we can sort this out. I’m not asking for anything, I just don’t want to lose my sister. Not again. _ “Thanks.” She paused, her gaze drifting toward her phone. “Okay, before I go on, I have to know, are you all together now? When did that happen?”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous,” Giselle spat back.

“We’re not all together,” Esmeralda added.

“I mean they are, but I’m not dating Esmeralda.” 

Anna blinked. “Right. Okay.”

“You know I’m straight,” Giselle insisted.

Esmeralda snickered. “Mostly.”

_ Glad they’re having fun. _ “Okay. I guess that makes sense.”

“Something else wrong?” 

She nodded, trying to force the words out. She needed to tell someone about it. Maybe then it wouldn’t be so hard to tell Moana. “I cheated on Moana. I’ll do it again if I have the chance. I need to end things with her, she deserves so much better, and I can’t believe I did this to her.” Tears pattered her skirt and the car. “She’s amazing and I have to break her heart. I hate myself so much right now. I can’t believe I did this.”

“Anna,” Esmeralda began.

“You didn’t know.” Giselle sighed, the phone crackled as she picked it up. “You didn’t think you could be with Elsa, you weren’t doing wrong by her, and it was only a kiss. If nothing comes of it, you don’t need to ruin something good. Talk to Elsa first, figure out what’s happening. I know you love Moana, you don’t need to beat yourself up over this. It was just a little mistake.”

“So you think kissing Elsa was a mistake?”

“Well, no.”

Dabbing at her eyes with her blouse, Anna sighed. “Exactly. I don’t either. I will do it again every single day if I’m given the chance. Moana is coming in second every time and I’m not gonna keep doing that to her. It’s not fair. I need to end things.”

“Just don’t be too hard on her,” Esmeralda said. “Breakups are tough, don’t be like me. I know how much I hurt you there. You say Moana deserves better, so give her better. Be honest, just tell her why you can’t work out, that you love her, and that you’re sorry. Don’t play any games, don’t hesitate. She deserves the truth.”

“I can’t tell her the truth!”  _ ‘Oh, Moana, just so you know, I’m cheating on you with my sister. Yeah, I know, it is fucked up. I’m a terrible person. Well, anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I’m dumping you, because I found someone better. Have a good life. _ ’ “It was so hard for her to get over her last breakup, and also this may be illegal so I shouldn’t tell someone who I’m hurting.”

“Come on, she wouldn’t be vindictive,” Giselle said. “You know her.”

“You never know how anyone might react to something like this.”

“We were both pretty cool with it,” Esmeralda pointed out.

Anna rolled her eyes. “You weren’t dating me at the time.”

“Fine, don’t tell her the specifics, just be upfront about it.”

That was what she had to do. Esmeralda was right. Her lip trembled, and she blinked away another bout of tears. “I don’t wanna,” she sobbed, shaking, wrapping her arms around herself. It hurt so much.

“I know, honey.” Esmeralda sniffled faintly. “I know. We’ll be here for you though. We promise.”

“Whatever you need,” Jack said.

“Thank you.” She wiped at her tears with her sleeve. “Thank you so much. I needed this. I’m gonna go. I need to sort this out.”

“Okay, but keep us up to date,” Giselle replied. “We all love you, and even if things don’t work out with Elsa, we want to hear about it. You’re my best friend, Anna.”

“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.” She ended the call, willing herself to find the energy to call her girlfriend. The longer she put it off the worse it was going to be.

‘ _ Hey, Moana.’ _

__ _ ‘Oh, hey, honey. How was your day? I’ve missed you so much. I love you.’ _

__ _ ‘Um, about that. My day was amazing, cause I finally got to kiss the woman I really love, not you. Yeah, I’m a monster, I’m sorry. Well, just wanted to let you know we’re over. Have fun in Atlanta.’  _ She snorted.  _ Yeah, that sounds perfect. _

__ Anna called Nani.  _ At least she’ll act like I did something wrong. Maybe I just need to hear that. Once she yells at me and tells me how terrible I am, then I’ll be up for breaking up with Moana. I’ll feel a lot better then. _

“Anna?” Nani asked. She’d answered a few seconds ago, and Anna had forgotten to say anything.

“Sorry. I was kind of lost in thought.”

“Did something happen? You didn’t try to pull something with Elsa did you? Shit, Anna, what happened?”

_ God damn it. Can no one give me some credit? Fine, I wasn’t able to restrain myself, but they could at least pretend they thought I’d be able to.  _ “Yeah. That’s exactly what happened. I kissed her, she kissed me back though, but then she freaked out and ran off. And went to sleep.”

“Oh.” Nani sighed, and the phone remained silent for a long while.

_ Here it comes. She’s going to give me exactly what I deserve. _

“I’m so sorry, Anna.”  _ What? _ “I knew what you were going through, I should’ve gone with you, or insisted that you weren’t ready. There was no way this wasn’t going to happen with you spending a month alone with her.”

“We weren’t alone, and I can control myself!”

“Then how did this happen?”

_ Well fine, if you want the actual facts I suppose you’re right.  _ “We were alone for a few minutes and I kissed her.”

“Right.” The phone crackled as Nani leaned against something. “I’m sorry, Anna. I should’ve said something.”

“I’m not some natural disaster. I can take responsibility for my own behavior. You don’t need to look after me.”

“I know,” Nani said. “I still always will. You’re my best friend, Anna, and you’re like a little sister to me.”

“Careful, I might kiss you too.”

“It’s okay. So what can I do to help?”

_ Great. I really wanted her to yell at me.  _ “What do I do about Moana?”

She paused, sucking in air through her teeth. “Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“Ha, you said it, now I get to say it!” Lilo insisted in the background.

“Say it in your room. I need a minute.”

“Fine!” She shouted, storming off.

“Sorry about that,” Nani continued, her voice flat. “So, what are we gonna do?”

“I need to break up with her.”

Nani groaned. “I don’t want you to hurt her. Nothing more happened. Just ignore it. You can get therapy like I’d suggested originally. You can move past this and you and she can have the perfect healthy relationship that you seem to have whenever Elsa isn’t around. She’s perfect for you, Anna. Please reconsider this.”

“I cheated on her. It wasn’t just a brief slip up, all I can think about is how badly I want to do it again. Yes, I love Moana, I love her so fucking much, but I love Elsa more, and she doesn’t deserve this. She shouldn’t be anyone’s silver medal. She’s an absolutely amazing woman and she should have someone who will treat her like it.”

“She loves you.”

“I know.” Anna sobbed, fighting back every instinct to just give into Nani’s suggestion. She didn’t want to do it. She had only dumped one person before and it had been so painful. Kristoff hadn’t deserved to suffer like that either. She’d dragged him along for so long before she finally pulled the trigger. She wouldn’t do the same thing to Moana. “Thank you. I feel a lot more confident now. I’m gonna go do it while I still can.”

“Anna –”

She hung up. She promptly tapped Moana’s picture. She looked so beautiful in it, and so happy. Anna hated what she had to do.

“Hey, honey.” Moana groaned as she stretched out in her hotel bed. “I just got in, I was gonna call you in a few. You have a good day with your sister?”

Anna choked, holding back her sob. She had to do this. “Moana –”

“What is it? Everything okay?”

_ I don’t want to do this. I’m so sorry.  _ “Not really. Moana, I can’t keep doing this. I’m sorry, I just can’t.”

“What do you mean? Anna, what are you saying?” The bed groaned as she sat up, her voice sounding panicked. 

Anna took in a shaky breath, letting it back out. She tried a couple more times; she needed to say what she’d called to say. “Us. I have to end things.”

“Anna? Did something happen? Is it just the distance? I actually just found out that I’m gonna be in New York for a night, well, Philly, but I thought I could come visit. I’m sorry I’m not around more, I know it’s tough.”

Blinking away tears, Anna shook her head. “It’s not the distance. You haven’t done anything wrong, you’re amazing. I’m so sorry, but have to do this. I love you, but I have to break up with you.”  _ It hurts so much.  _ She doubled over, her belly felt like it had a million pins stabbing into it.  _ I hate this. _

“Anna –” sobbing, her voice cracking, she implored her. “Anna, please. Tell me what’s wrong. We can get through this.”

“I can’t. I’m so so sorry.”

“Anna – I love you.”

“Goodbye.” Barely managing to hit the end call button, Anna dropped the phone, the tinny sound of it hitting the hood of the BMW echoing through the garage. She’d done it. It was over with. Now she could just lean back and cry until she couldn’t cry anymore.

It took a little under an hour.  _ I guess that’s all Moana was worth to me. I just sat there for an hour after Elsa, but for Moana — _ she checked her phone —  _ I just lasted 43 minutes. God, I’m the worst. _

Wiping at her eyes, she made her way back inside and poured herself the rest of the blender of margarita and snatched up a chocolate croissant.  _ Elsa bought this for me. She cares so much, and all I can do is hurt everyone.  _

The couch accepted her when she collapsed into it, not bothering with the TV. She ate her pastry and drank in silence. She wished there’d been more of the margarita left. She didn’t even feel buzzed by the time she finished it.  _ I should just go grab another bottle of something, her cheapest alcohol, I don’t want to steal any more than I already have. _

Instead, she found herself on her feet. There was one more conversation that she needed to have. She just had absolutely no idea how to do it.

On the fourth knock, Olaf opened his door. “Hi, Mama,” he said, looking up at her. “I was just about to go grab the charger, anyway. Are you okay?”

_ I must look awful right now.  _ She shook her head and sat down on his bed, gesturing for him to join him. “We need to talk about something.”

“What is it? Did something happen?” Staring up at her, he reluctantly took his seat. “Why do you look so sad?”

_ Just like with Moana, I just need to get it over with.  _ “I broke up with Moana.”

“What?!” His eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open. “Why? Did she do something wrong? Did I? Do I have to give her back my game? Does this mean I won’t see her again?” His lower lip protruded, tears streaming down his face. “Mama?”

_ He takes after me so much.  _ “You didn’t do anything wrong, and neither did she. We just weren’t working out.”  _ I will not vent to my son.  _ “I’m sorry. I just wanted to let you know. I know how close you two were.”

“But I was gonna watch more Star Trek with her! And we were gonna take over the quadrant. What happened? Can’t I still see her? She could still babysit, right?”

Anna blinked away her own tears.  _ Esmeralda babysits now. I guess anything is possible.  _ “I don’t know, Olaf. Probably not anytime soon, but maybe eventually. I wish that you didn’t have to suffer for my actions.”

“What did you do? Can’t you say you’re sorry? I’m sure she’d forgive you.”

_ The worst part is, he’s right. She probably would. She’s kind of awesome like that. I don’t deserve her. _ “I’m sorry, Olaf. Do you want me to leave you alone or should I stay here for a while?”

“Please tell me what happened!” He bit his trembling lip, trying to hold back his tears. “Mama, I don’t understand.”

“I know, honey. I’m sorry for that too.” She ran her fingers through his tangled blond hair, pulling him to her. “I’m so sorry.”

He clung to his mother, sobbing against her shirt. “I thought she was gonna be my new mom.”

_ That would imply she’s replacing an old mom. Is he getting rid of me?  _ “I know.” She pulled him tight, grateful for his comfort and trying to give him as much back as she could. “I thought so too. I’ll explain it all someday, but for now, just know that it wasn’t her fault.”

“You promise?” He pulled back, tear-rimmed eyes peering up at her, desperate for any solace she could give.

“I promise. I’ll tell you eventually, and she absolutely did nothing wrong.”  _ I’m not sure which he was asking.  _ She patted his head, her tears falling onto him and the bed. 

“Okay. I guess I can wait.” When he pulled away, his face was etched in tears and snot against her blouse. “But you have to do it eventually!”

“I know. I promised I would.”

“Okay.” He heaved out a sigh, nervously meeting her gaze. “Can I have more chocolate?”

Anna rolled her eyes but climbed to her feet. She’d put him through enough today, who was she to deprive him of some chocolate? “Of course, honey, there’re still a few more croissants. I’ll get us both one.”

They sat together for a long while, enjoying their croissants, but not saying anything more. “Do you think she’ll miss me?” Olaf asked after a long while, crumbs flecking his face as he turned to her.

“I know she will. I’m sure she’ll be begging to babysit you someday. You were very special to her. You’re a wonderful kid, Olaf. I’m so lucky to have you.”  _ Whatever happens, I’m not forgetting that. Moana wasn’t coming in second, she was coming in third. Olaf will always be most important. _

“You really think so?”

“I know so. You’re the coolest kid I know.”

He beamed up at her, tears still glistening on his cheeks. “Thanks, Mama. You’re really cool too. I’m glad you’re my mom.”

_ Fuck, I needed that. At least someone’s glad to know me.  _ Holding back tears, Anna smiled down at him. “Thank you, Olaf. I’m so glad you think so.”

“Of course, I do. You look after me and give me chocolate and play Star Trek with me. I don’t know what happened to make you so sad, but you’re a great mom. The best.”

Leaning against his wall, she nodded, a faint smile tugging at the misery she’d thrown herself into. “Only because I have the best son.”  _ If I had Lilo, I’d be a terrible mom. I can’t even imagine. Olaf is just so easy to look after, he takes zero work. _

“Lilo said so too, she wishes you’d adopt her, but I think she was just mad at Nani then. She loves you though.”

Anna chuckled. “That’s fair. I love her too.”  _ I guess she’s not that bad. _

“Good.” He hugged her again and grabbed his Switch. “You think Moana will be mad at me for still playing her game?”

Smiling at her sweet, absurdly caring son, Anna shook her head. “Of course not. Play it all you want. I’m gonna go grab the charger for you. Do you want the whole cradle?”

He nodded. “Will you set it up for me?”

“Sure.”

She splashed water on her face, wiped her nose, and then grabbed the stuff for Olaf’s Switch. No matter how much she was screwing up, she could still be a good mother to him. Once she’d set it up, he jumped back into his game and she decided to stay with him. She didn’t entirely want to be alone right then, anyway. 

She managed to stay awake to watch him beat a boss and earn a new subclass before the music lulled her asleep. She didn’t wake up until he finally stopped the game and hugged her. “I’m going to bed now, Mama.”

“Make sure you brush your teeth.”

“Do I have to?”   
Anna rolled her eyes, wiping away sleep. “Yes, you have to. Go get ready for bed. I’m gonna do the same. You have a good night, Olaf. Sweet dreams.”

“You too, Mama.” He hugged her again. “I’m sorry that you had to break up with Moana, but I’m sure it was for a good reason.”

“I hope you’re right. Now go brush your teeth.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. 

“With toothpaste.”

Groaning, he closed the bathroom door behind him, and Anna slipped out of his room. As an adult, she could justify skipping her nightly routine once in a while. She fell face-first into bed, too exhausted to even undress, and fell asleep on top of the covers. It had been a very long day.


	45. Elsa - Did I Really Kiss Her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m touched to see just how much a lot of you cared about Elsa and Tiana as a couple. I have for a while been considering writing an alternate ending or a whole alternate take on the last act if there was demand for it once the story is finished. My main interest had been in all four getting together, primarily so I could say that it was an Elsannanana ship, but if there’s desire for an Elsa/Tiana ending, while the official ending of this story will always just be Elsanna, I would be up for writing that if people want to see that.

            Elsa hated that she left things like that. Anna was asleep when she’d woken up, though, of course, she’d made no attempt to wake her, and she snuck out of the house without a word. _What am I gonna do? What did that even mean? Fuck, I’m so confused._ She’d given away all of her imminent cases, but there had to be something she could do. She’d go out and find a new client if she had to, the name partners would certainly love that.

            She threw herself into her chair, coffee in hand, and began sifting through her inbox. _Come on, anything. Anything._

            A knock came from her door. _Except that._ “Come in,” she called back. _I am so not ready to talk to anyone from whom I am not trying to procure money._

            Gaston slowly pushed the door open, peering in at her. “How come you’re here?”

            “This is my office,” she growled.

            “You know that’s not what I mean.” He opened the door the rest of the way, closing it securely behind him, and flopped into a chair opposite Elsa’s desk. “What happened?”

            _What did happen? I’m not even sure. Did I really kiss her?_ She shook her head. “Nothing happened.”

            “Oh.” He sighed, nodding as if he knew something she didn’t know.

            “What?” she snarled.

            “She told you, didn’t she?”

            Elsa blinked, staring at him. “Told me what?” _How the hell did Asshole know? Was she that obvious?_ She considered that. _Okay, yeah, she was. Holy shit, how did I not pick up on this before, I’m supposed to be good at reading people. God, Anna is the least subtle person in the world._

            “You know what,” he said, his tone brooking no argument.

            “I don’t. Not really. She didn’t tell me anything.”

            He sat up, his leg falling off of the arm rest as he leaned forward and stared into her eyes. “Then what’s wrong? Shit, you figured it out yourself? Yeah, that’s not surprising. What finally gave it away?”

            “Mostly her kissing me.”

            His jaw dropped. “Oh.”

            “Yeah. Thanks though, you could’ve warned me about that. How am I so stupid? I didn’t even notice my own sister was – what is she exactly?”

            “She’s pretty head over heels in love with you.”

            “Oh.” Elsa threw her head back against the chair, her eyes screwing shut. “Fuck.”

            “I take it you’re not up for talking about it yet?”

            “That would be why I didn’t want you in here, yes.”

            “Elsa, just promise you won’t do anything rash.” He swallowed, trying to look as sincere as he could, a difficult task for him. “She doesn’t want to lose you again, she made that more than clear. She was just going to talk to you, I don’t know what happened, but –”

            “What happened was I ignored every sign she gave me and started going on about doubts about my impending marriage and all of my fears. So, she decided to kiss me, and I kissed her back, because I just finally realized how much she cared for me, and how badly she needed it.”

            “You kissed her back?” Gaston cleared his throat, a nervous smile making its way across his face. “So, you feel the same way?”

            Elsa shook her head. “I don’t know what I feel. I only knew that I wanted to give it to her, it was so easy, and it would make her so happy. Then I realized what was happening and just kind of freaked out and ran away.”

            “Oh.”

            “And I kinda haven’t talked to her since.”

            “Elsa –”

            “Yeah, I fucked up there. She spent years thinking I hated her, not even entirely incorrectly, and now I’ve driving her back there all over again. I know I should talk to her.” Her nails dug into the armrests of her chair. “I’m just not ready to yet. I need more time. I don’t know what I want, and I definitely don’t know what to say.”

            “Well, how about once you figure it out a bit, before you go home, I’ll help you go over your opening arguments?”

            Elsa’s brows knitted together as she studied her friend. “Why did she tell you?”

            “I figured it out and confronted her at the party.”

            “How? No, I know how, she was not subtle. Why are you so okay with it? She’s my sister, hell you’re a raging homophobe, this should bother you on so many levels. You’re not gonna say incest and lesbianism cancel each other out or something, right?”

            “Of course not.” His smile grew warmer. It was surprisingly comforting. “I’m not proud of who I used to be, so who knows, maybe I’m just overcompensating and trying to be cool with everything, but I saw her, I talked to her. Her love for you is so pure and far better than anything I’ve ever felt for anyone. You’re everything to her. There was no way I could not support that.”

            “So you really think I should do it?”

            His perfect white teeth glinted at her. “Of course, I do, Elsa. I know you love Tiana, but you’ve been driving yourself crazy with doubts over her. Anna would do anything for you, and she’ll be there no matter what. She’s the best, and don’t you deserve the best?”

            “Get out of my office.”

            “Sorry, too much?”

            She shook her head, blinking away tears. “No. Just get out of my office before I start crying.”

            “Okay.” He walked over to the door and turned to her. “Just, before you bury yourself in work, I know you need the time to think about it, but at least send her a text letting her know that you’re not mad at her and you’re not throwing her out or anything.”

            Elsa gritted her teeth. She always hated when he was right. “Yeah. I didn’t even think of it. I’ll message her, and then I need to just not think about this for a little while. Any interesting cases? I just need something I can sink my teeth into?”

            “As a matter of fact, I passed an old friend of yours in the waiting room. You might not like it though.”

            _I’m not even gonna ask. Nothing is talking me out of this, I need a distraction._ “Send them in.”

  

* * *

 

 

            Just after Elsa had finished sending that text message, her door opened again and in walked the last person she’d ever expected to see there. “Hi,” Peter murmured, staring at his shoes.

            “Take a seat.” She gestured toward the chair Gaston had just vacated. _So what if I’ve spent my life making a fool out of him and the one time he won a case I spiraled into a self-loathing bout of depression for a whole month? No reason we can’t be friends._

“Right.” He stumbled over to the seat and dropped into it, fear clear in his eyes as he met her gaze. “Elsa, I know I’m the last person you want to see, but I don’t know who else I could turn to. I need your help.”

            _Not even calling me Ms. Agnarrsen._ “What happened, Peter? Someone finally catch on to your secret drug habit or something?”

            “What?” He cocked his head, as if he couldn’t even comprehend what she was saying. “I don’t do drugs. You know me better than that.”

            “Then what happened?”

            “It’s not true. You have to believe me. I swear I didn’t do it.”

            “Didn’t do what, Pan?! Just tell me.”

            Shrinking back into his chair, he nodded, his hands clutching at his knees. “I’m being accused of prosecutorial misconduct.”

            “You’re what?” Her tone was flat, this was absurd. Petey was a lot of things, but he certainly wasn’t corrupt.

            “I told you, I didn’t do it. Please believe me!” His hands met in the air before him as he pleaded for her acceptance, peering up at her with his head hung low.

            “I believe you, Petey. I’ve known you for a decade, and you don’t have a corrupt bone in your body.”

            “Elsa –”

            “Yes, I’m taking the case. I won’t even let this go before any board. I’m the only one who gets to besmirch your good name.”

            He nodded, a faint smile easing his worried features. “Thank you.”

            “Oh, you’ll be making it worth my while eventually, no need to thank me. I’ve always wanted a friend in the DA’s office.”

            “You think I’ll still be there?”  
            “I swear it,” she said, her teeth bared. She was finally starting to feel like herself again. _I knew I just needed a case. The Ice Queen is back._ “Tell me what happened, then I’m going to go have a word with Facilier.”

            “I don’t know what the point of that would be. It doesn’t matter if we can prove that I didn’t do it, the optics of this look too bad. He’s already planning on letting me go, and I have a meeting with the bar.”

            “When?”

            He sighed. “Today. I didn’t want to come to you, this isn’t a legal matter, I don’t know what I think you can do, but I’m out of options.”

            “What’s the evidence? You still haven’t said how this happened, I need information before I can formulate a plan.”

            Nodding, Peter adjusted his position, trying to get comfortable in his chair. “I had a case last month. A woman had been murdered and all the evidence suggested that the husband had done it.”

            “It’s always the husband.”

            “Right. That’s what the police thought too, and they found plenty of evidence to go with it, and I had one of them corroborating it all on the stand.”

            Elsa leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers. “So what went wrong?”

            “It turned out the officer lied. Officer Wilde. He was convinced that the guy was guilty, and so he lied about it. He said he’d found the husband, still holding the bloody knife, on top of her. The guy wasn’t even there when he arrived.”

            “And the evidence?”

            “As far as I can tell, it was real, but this opens up so much. Hell, maybe Wilde killed her, I can’t know.”

            “So, let me guess. He got in trouble for it, and insisted that you told him to say it.”

            “Yeah.” He nodded, his head never coming back up, instead falling into his hands. “I’m so screwed. I should’ve known it was a lie.”

            “You trusted your witness. It happens to the best of us. You didn’t do anything wrong, and I will make sure that you’re not punished for his actions.

            She had a busy day ahead of her. So many places to go, so little time. _I love it._

            The DA’s office was first on the list. Facilier was likely to be the easiest to convince, and she needed to be quick. She had to make it to the committee in less than three hours.

            “Elsa?” he cooed, looking up from his papers. _No one is ever surprised when I show up in their office unannounced. It works so well on TV._ “I wasn’t aware we had a meeting. Or was this an intimate visit? I can have everything off my desk in thirty-three seconds.”

            “No. So many reasons why, but just no.”

            Dramatically sighing, he gestured toward an empty chair. “Then what brings you here?”

            She remained standing. “You know that Peter didn’t do that. He doesn’t have it in him.”

            “Do I now?”

            Elsa glared daggers at him. “Don’t give me that. You know I have my issues with him, but he would never do that. The guy doesn’t even wait until the day before trial to hand over evidence.”

            “Then I should fire him for that instead.”

            “He’s not corrupt. You will tell the board that.”

            “Will I now?” A snakeish grin warped his features into a cadaver-like mask. “Why should I do that? He’s my worst prosecutor, I should’ve fired him ages ago, anyway.”

            “He’s getting  better. Hell, he even beat me.”

            “I suppose.”

            “Facilier, I don’t have time for your shit. The meeting is at two o’clock. You will be there and you will tell them that he didn’t do this.”

            “Do you have any proof?” he asked, reclining in his leather chair.

            “Working on it. If you really want to help, you can do the same, you have his case files.”

            “That sounds like work. Fine, I’ll show up and I’ll act as character witness, but neither of us are handling the files. They’re confidential.”

            Groaning, Elsa grit her teeth. It was a start. She found her car by the parking meter, another thirty minutes still on its clock, and made her way to the officer’s house. He was on suspension and Peter had given her the address. Unfortunately, he was in Brooklyn, so she would have to hurry.

            She made it with an hour and a half to spare. She would have to make this quick. A woman answered on the second knock. “Hello?”

            “Is Nick home?”

            “Yes, who may I say is looking for him?”

            “He’ll want to talk to me. Just go get him.”

            The woman squinted, but turned around to fetch him. A few seconds later, a lean red-haired man strolled over to the door. “Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying.”

            “My name’s Elsa Agnarrsen. Perhaps you’ve heard of me.”

            He snorted. “I’ve met you before. You got that douchebag perp I’d arrested off — Thomas Flowers, wasn’t it? I didn’t recognize you without the brimstone and flames. You can fuck off twice as hard.”

            He started to close the door, but Elsa caught it with her foot. _Ow._ “If you recant your statements about Mr. Pan, I’ll represent you in your perjury trial.”

            The door opened again,  and the officer peered out at her, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Why the hell would you do that?”

            _I’m not representing Peter in any legal capacity. There’s no conflict._ “Because a good man is going to lose his license if you don’t recant. Your story didn’t change your fate at all, you’re still suspended and facing trial from Facilier. I’ve beaten him before and I’ll do it again.”

            “Fine, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

            “No, now. He has a meeting with the board in just over an hour, and you’re going to be there.”

            “I’m not –”

            “Now,” she snarled.

            They made it to the New York City Bar Association’s building with thirty minutes until Peter’s meeting with the Committee on Professional Ethics. She found him pacing the lobby, two cups of coffee in his hands.

            “How’re you doing?” she asked, Nick right behind her. She wasn’t letting him out of her sight.

            He glanced between the two of them. “You –”

            “Yes.”

            He exhaled, leaning back against nothing, staring up at the ceiling. “Oh, thank you so much. I thought it was over for me.”

            “Like I said, you’ll owe me.”

            “You’re a good friend, Elsa.” _Wait, what?_ “Here, I got you this.” He handed her one coffees. “It’s from Oaken’s. That’s the place you like, right? I asked around. There’s even a chocolate croissant.” He glanced around and found the bag a few feet away, leaning up against the wall. “Want it?”

            _Yeah, I’ll be his friend._ “Thank you. I hadn’t eaten.” She ate the croissant with a speed not entirely appropriate for civilized company, but she was starving. As she washed it down with the coffee, Elsa was finally starting to relax. _I did everything I could. Now we just have to wait._

“You’re taking it back?” he asked Nick.

            “I already said I would.”

            “Just wait.” She didn’t want to risk any disagreements that could jeopardize Pan’s case. Nick didn’t seem the most agreeable sort.

            With only five minutes to arrive, Facilier casually strolled in. “I’m here, what’s the hold up?”

            “You’re early.”

            “I could walk around the block, have a more dramatic entrance.”

            “It’s fine.”

            “You came?” Peter asked. “You mean you’re gonna stand by me?”

            “I suppose. Would hardly due to lose you. You’re the only one who can figure out how to work that coffee machine.”

            The nearby door opened, and they were ushered inside. “Mr. Pan,” an old grey-haired man called out from a table at the end of the room. “I believe you know why you’re here.”

            “Yes, your honor,” he muttered, hurrying before them.

            “Oh for – I’m not a judge.”

            “Yes, sir?”

            “Good enough.” He glanced down at the paper before him. There was another man, almost identical to him, on either side. It had somewhat of an intimidating effect, even on Elsa. She took a seat, waiting patiently for her chance to speak. “You’ve been accused of knowingly suborning perjury by an Officer Nick Wilde.”

            “Here,” Nick announced.

            “Officer Wilde, it is not necessary for you to be here.”

            He hesitated, taking a step back. He clearly wanted to bolt. Elsa couldn’t help but see him as a frightened animal. She met his eyes. If he ran, she wouldn’t be representing him, and he’d be going to prison. “I lied.”

            “You what?” one of the other men asked. His voice was higher, less serious. _No wonder they let the other guy talk, he sounds so foreboding._

            “I lied. He didn’t know that I’d made my story up. It was the only thing I’d told him. I just didn’t want to go down for it alone. I knew I could take him with me, so I did.”

            “Mr. Wilde, this is disgusting.” _Much better. Very intimidating._

            “I know.”

            “Mr. Facilier, did you have anything you wanted to say?” the third man asked, noticing the tall DA skulking in the corner.

            “I think he sort of stole my thunder. I guess I’ll just say that Pete is a good man, I’ve known him for six months now, I like him. I’d like to keep him. Preferably in my bed, but I’ll settle for in my office.”

            Peter’s head swung around, staring at his boss. _Have they just not talked at all? He’s always like that._

            “Very well. In light of recent revelations,” he glared at Nick, causing him to shrink even further back in the room, “Mr. Pan shall face no penalty. We apologize that you had to deal with this. Certain individuals who shall remain unnamed should know better than to slander a valuable civil servant. You have our condolences and our appreciation.”

            Pan stared at them. “Wow. So that’s it?”

            “That’s it.”

            Elsa slung an arm around his shoulder. “Come on. Let me buy you a drink.” _You can do this. You don’t need to torment the kid any more than you already have, you can just be nice. I’ve been able to be friendly with associates, I can manage it with him._

            “Really?”

            “Yeah.” On the way out, she handed her card to Nick. “Call me, we’ll arrange your defense. Have a good one. Facilier, you’re the worst.” She waved goodbye to him. _Probably not wise to insult the DA, but I have to be mean to one of them, and he knows it’s true._

They met up at a bar near Elsa’s work. She didn’t go in often, but she knew the place. Gaston just had better scotch. She was already at the bar when he came in and she indicated the vacant stool next to her.

            “Never thought this would happen,” he said, sliding into the seat.

            “Crazier things have.” Elsa motioned over for the bartender. “Two glasses of Macallan, neat.”

            “I’m not really a scotch person,” Peter muttered, as the bartender busied himself with the drinks.

            Elsa glared at him. “I’m trying here. Just drink it.”

            He pursed his lips and nodded. “Yes. You’re right, sorry.”

            Elsa rolled her eyes. “What would you prefer? I’ll take both scotches.”

            “Gin and tonic?”

            “A gin and tonic please,” she said louder, receiving a curt nod from the bartender as he continued his business. She’d always liked how little he talked the few times she’d visited, it let her focus on drowning her sorrows.

            “So why are we here? You hate me.”

            “I don’t hate you, exactly.”

            “Elsa –”

            “You messed up, and I carried it way too far. It wasn’t even my case. I shouldn’t have spent years making you miserable over it.”

            “You didn’t. You just kept kicking my ass.”

            “I stand by that part, but I still could’ve been nicer about it. Though you managed to beat me last time.”

            “Just once.”

            She smiled, taking one of the glasses of scotch and raising it to him. “That’s all it takes. You won that one, and from what I’ve heard you’ve been doing pretty well since then. I’m proud of you.” His glass met hers.

            “Thank you.” He rubbed at his eyes and let out a shaky breath. “That means a lot.”

            “It’s no problem. You’ve earned it, even if it did take a while.”

            “I was always told I was a slow learner.” He didn’t seem to be joking. He took a sip of his gin and tonic, his shoulders relaxing as he sank into the seat. “Today was terrifying. I don’t know what I would’ve done if it hadn’t been for you. You’re my hero, Elsa. You always have been.”

            _Now I feel worse._ She blinked away a few tears and downed a healthy portion of her scotch. “I’m glad I could help. I was having a pretty crazy day too. I needed the distraction.”

            “Do you want to talk about it?”

            She considered him, staring at the assistant DA she’d faced off against so many times before. “No. Not really. I just wanted to not think about it for a bit. So thanks for that.”

            His face fell, but he nodded. “I understand. It’s not like we’re really friends or anything.”

            “No,” she admitted. “But maybe we could be.” _Just look at how much we can change. He was my worst enemy, and now we’re almost friends._ She finished off the first drink and slid the second over to him. “There’s something I need to do. Try the scotch, it won’t kill you.”

            “I –”

            “We’ll be in touch. You still owe me after all.” She flashed him a quick smile and headed back to the office. She had work to do.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

            Gaston looked up from his desk where he was reading over a thick folder. “New case?” she asked.

            “Yeah, should be fun.”

            “I like fun cases.”

            “Yeah, but you’re taking this month off, remember.”

            “But –” she grumbled. He was right, she couldn’t keep avoiding Anna, that was why she was here. “You better win it.”

            “I will. So what’s up?”

            “I want to talk to Anna, and I need to figure out what I want to say to her.”

            “Have you decided what you want?”

            Her breath whistled as she exhaled, staring at the case Gaston was working on. It seemed so much easier than this. “No. I haven’t. But I think that should kind of tell me something. I don’t return her feelings, not yet at least, but I don’t seem to be bothered by them, and I did kiss her back.”

            “I will treasure that image forever.”

            “Ew. Maybe we should see where things go.”

            “Are you going to call things off with Tiana?”

            She bit her lip. _I wish I knew._ “I haven’t made any real decisions yet, but I don’t think I will. Maybe. I’m really not sure.”

            He nodded. “Okay. That’s still something.”

            “Yeah. So, that’s what I have to do. I’m gonna talk to Anna. What do I tell her?”

            His smirk was a tad annoying. _Enjoy this just a little less._ “Well since it seems like ‘Anna, I love you too and want to spend the rest of my life with you’ is off the table, how about just ‘Hey, I’m sorry for being so weird about everything, I don’t know how I feel, but I’m okay with seeing where things go.’ That’s basically what you told me.”

            “She’s my sister.” _Maybe I’m not up for this._

            “So?”

            “So it’s weird.”

            “Nothing weird about it. Like you folks say, love is love.”

            She groaned, far from thrilled at the comparison. _There’s a difference._ “That doesn’t make this okay. Hell, I practically raised her.”

            “And she’s thirty-one years old, a responsible grown-up, with her own life and her own kid, she can make her own decisions. You’re not forcing her into this, it wasn’t even something you thought you’d want. She does though.”

            “She certainly seems to.”

            “She told me. You mean everything to her.”

            “She means everything to me too.”

            He smiled, less annoyingly this time. “Then tell her that.”

            “Okay. So, I’m just going to say ‘Hey, Anna, sorry about last night. I don’t know if I feel the same way you do, but you mean the world to me, and I’m okay with exploring this with you if you want. Not like dating, but at least seeing if there’s anything there." _I have to stop myself before I can end up rambling like my little sister — though I‘m sure she’d take that well._

            “That sounds perfect.”

            Elsa nodded, swallowing her nerves. _This is insane._ “Are you sure about this?”

            “I am. She’s perfect for you, and I want both of you to be happy.”

            “Fuck it. Fine. I’m gonna go talk to her.”

            She bid Gaston farewell and went down to the garage. She only sat in her car for a good twenty minutes before she managed to gather up the courage to go home. It had seemed like longer. She rehearsed the speech again and again in her head. She knew what she had to do.


	46. Anna - I'm Not Insane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the extensive requests from my fans, I will be doing an alternate ending for Elsa and Tiana, and because I can't do an Elsa chapter without an Anna chapter, she and Moana get one too. However, since I know some people have already had more than they can stomach of the non-Elsanna ships, I'll be putting it up as a separate story.

'I'm not mad at you. I still want you to stay, I just need some time to process things. I'm at work, I know you're panicking. Don't.' Anna reread the message for the dozenth time. It did nothing to abate her panic. "Elsa," she muttered, leaning back against the headboard.  _What am I gonna say? I can't believe I did that._

She had about six other messages she'd been ignoring in favor of this one. It wasn't quite what she wanted, but at least Elsa didn't hate her. She finally gave in. Four of them were from Moana. She'd deal with that, but not yet. She needed some strength first. Maybe once she'd talked to Elsa she'd feel better, or at least so much worse about herself that it wouldn't hurt anymore. 'Anna, hurry up, I need an answer.' It was from Nani, she stared at it for a moment before realizing there was a message before it.

'Moana is asking me if I know what happened. What should I tell her? Obviously not that you're in love with your sister, but should I say that you met someone else?'  _Fuck._   _I guess I can't wait then. I can't face her, but there's no way I can make Nani do it._

Gritting her teeth, she quickly typed out a response. 'I'll talk to her. Just give me a few minutes.'  _Not drinking, that's a recipe for disaster when Elsa gets home._ She blew out her breath, blinking away tears as she attempted to steady her nerves.

Her phone started to ring.  _Of course she didn't wait._ Unsurprisingly, it was Moana. Anna took another deep breath, she could do this. "Hello?"

"Anna," she choked out a sob, "Nani said to call. Sorry, I'm sure I'm driving you crazy."

 _I'd have sent way more than four texts. She only even called once. For being dumped with no explanation, I'd say she's being pretty reasonable._ "No, it's okay. I owe you an answer."  _How? What?_

"And don't worry, I wasn't like this when I was flying, that would've been a recipe for disaster, I managed to hold it together until about the minute I made it back home." A brief sniffle interrupted her. "You left a shirt."

"Oh. Sorry."  _What shirt? I hope it wasn't anything too nice._

"It's fine."

 _Well, this is awkward._ "Moana –"  _Okay, that's a start, what am I saying next? Come on, just keep talking._

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want an apology, Anna! I want an explanation. What happened? I thought things were going really well with us."

"They were."  _Do I just tell the truth? I don't think I can._ "You're amazing, things were perfect."

"That's not an explanation. Anna, what the hell happened? We were perfect, as you say, calling every night, saying I love you, I thought – I don't know what I thought, but it was really nice. What changed? I just need to know what I did."

"You didn't do anything."  _God damn it. Fine. I guess I'll just tell her, at least most of it. I can't keep torturing her._ "I did. I'm terrible, and you deserve so much better."

"I don't want better – that sounds terrible. I love you, Anna."

"I love you too."  _I did not mean to say that._ "Look, I –" she choked down a sob.  _No, I can do this._ "There's someone I'd known for a long time, and I was in love with her, but I knew nothing would happen and I tried to ignore it, but you're so amazing and don't deserve to be anyone's second choice."

"If nothing can happen with her, then what does it matter? Some old unrequited thing is nothing to worry about. We were happy together, you don't have to leave me over it."  _I so desperately want to take her up on that. If I could just suppress these feelings for Elsa, then Moana would be perfect for me, and perfect for Olaf, and we could have an amazing life together._

"I kissed her."

The sound on the other end of the phone was somewhere between a gasp, a sob, and someone being tried her best to ignore it. She hated hurting her like this.

"I don't think anything could ever happen with her, but I'm clearly not over her enough for this. I cheated on you, and I just can't do that to you again. You are so wonderful and if I was over these stupid feelings then all I'd want in the world is to fall into your arms and be yours, but as long as I still feel this way, I just can't do this to you. I'm so sorry."

Seconds passed without a response, Anna was starting to think that she'd hung up, when Moana finally said, "Okay."

_Huh._

"I feel like such an idiot. I'm always falling for the unavailable girl. Don't call me."

"Moana –"

"Give my love to Olaf, but you're right, we need to be over then. Why does this always happen?"

The call clicked off, and Anna let the phone fall back onto the bed as she held her head in her hands, crying as quietly as she could manage. She didn't want to worry Olaf.

Once she'd collected herself enough, she washed her face off and checked on Olaf. He didn't seem to have heard anything; he was still busy playing the game Moana had given him.  _Why does that hurt so much?_ "Mama?" he asked.

She hoped that it wasn't too obvious she'd been crying again. Her eyes were a little puffy, but it hadn't looked too noticeable in the mirror. "Just checking on you. You having fun?"

"Yeah. Did you wanna watch?"

"Not right now."  _Moana asked me to give him her love. I should, I just don't want to get into that conversation again._ "Moana sends her love, I just talked to her."

"Are you two back together?" He beamed up at her _,_ excitedly waiting for an answer.  _Is he seriously more invested in my relationship than I am?_

"No, honey."

"Why not?" he whined.

"I'm sorry. Some things are too tough to explain."

"But you said you would. I waited."

"You'll have to wait a few more years, kiddo. I'm sorry." She ruffled his hair, offering as sympathetic a smile as she could manage in her current state.

"Okay," he grumbled, turning back to the TV. "I'm just gonna play my game then."

 _Hopefully that doesn't irreparably damage his trust in me. He's never wanted me to leave him alone before._ "All right. I'll let you know when we're having dinner."

"Okay."

Swallowing down a lump in her throat, she closed the door behind her and walked downstairs.  _I'm just disappointing everyone. Damn, I wish I could get drunk right now, but I'm not risking making another move on Elsa like that. I think I may just have to stay sober around her forever._

As if on cue, the front door opened. Anna wanted to run. Elsa stood in the kitchen before her, tossing her purse on the counter. She met her gaze and Anna could swear she took a fearful step back. "Anna –"

"Hi, Elsa," she offered.  _Don't say 'I love you.' Don't even take a step toward her. You don't have that right anymore._

"Can we talk?"

Biting her lip, Anna nodded. She was so terrified she couldn't say a word, talking may be a bit out of her grasp at the moment.

Elsa gestured toward the couch, sitting in exactly the spot where she'd been when Anna had kissed her the previous night. Anna decided to sit on the recliner across from her. She didn't trust herself any closer than that.

Elsa sighed, nodding as she stared at the coffee table, her mind swirling away. Anna needed to know what was in there, but she wouldn't push, she'd give her all the time she needed. "You're in love with me, right?"

Anna's eyes widened as she attempted to process that question. Every instinct made her want to deny it. She just wanted everything to go back to normal, but it was far too late for that. "Yes."

"Yeah, Gaston told me, though I'd kind of figured it out for myself last night. You gave me a pretty good hint."

She nodded.

Elsa bit into her lip, a finger idly tapping on the armrest. "I don't think I'm in love with you."

"Yeah, of course, I hadn't expected you to be. I don't know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have – done what I did. I'm so sorry." Unable to bring herself to meet Elsa's gaze, Anna watched her own lap. "Can we just go back to normal?"

"Is that what you want?"

"What do you mean?" She looked up, staring at the wall above Elsa's head.

"I'm not saying I'm ready for anything yet, because I'm definitely not, but I kissed you back and I really don't understand why."  _Cause I'm your type? Just look at Anastasia._ "I talked to Albert about you for a while today, and after he shot down all of my objections, I really don't know what I feel about you. People don't just resent their little sister for moving away and then date someone who looks almost exactly like them and has almost the same name, when they only have familial feelings for them, but I didn't think it was any more than that."  _Wait, really? The Anastasia thing was real? I'm not just crazy?_ "You kissing me isn't what freaked me out last night, my response to it was."

Anna cleared her throat, trying to bring herself to talk, but all she managed was a slight gasp. This was terrifying, but it was so much more than she could have ever dreamed.

"I'm not saying I'm willing to date you."  _Then what are you saying?_ "I still need to figure out what I'm doing about things with Tiana, and I'm going to talk to her when she gets back, hopefully by then I'll have had long enough to process everything. All I'm saying for right now is that I'm not entirely against seeing what could happen between us."

"You mean it?"

"Anna." She stared at the floor at Anna's feet. "Please don't expect anything. I really don't know."

"No, it's okay!" She leapt from her seat, crossing the room to Elsa and kneeling before her, finally meeting those breathtaking blue eyes. "You mean the world to me, and all I care is that I can still be in your life."

"Of course, Anna. I would never do anything like that – again." She swallowed, averting her gaze.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"I know, Anna." She turned back, Anna taking in a sharp breath when their eyes met. "I just don't know what that is right now, so we're going to find out."

 _Kiss her._ "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me. You mean the world to me too, and for us to not end up having another falling out, I think we owe it to each other to see where this can go. Just, if I don't end up returning your feelings, please try not to hold it against me."

"I would never." She reached for Elsa's hands before thinking better of it and dropping her hands to her side. "I'm just so glad you're even willing to consider it."

"Tiana is gonna be thrilled." Elsa chuckled, shaking her head. "Unless I end up leaving her. She'd hate that."

"You really think she'd be thrilled?"

"Well, yesterday I said I wasn't going to kiss you and she got all disappointed."

"Wow, Elsa, you couldn't even make it a whole day without kissing me?" She grinned as innocently as possible at her big sister.  _She could still kick me out._

"I walked right into that one."

"Kinda did."  _This is how Elsa interacts with her girlfriends. Should we just tease each other all the time now? We used to when we were younger. Did she model her relationships with other women off of her relationship with her sister? I am so okay with that._

"Will you promise me one more thing though? It's kind of ridiculous, and I know it's gonna be tough."

"Not to call you my sister? I can manage that."

She blinked and cocked her head, considering this. "That could help. I was just going to say to just relax and just hang out as sisters – so I guess just as friends, until Tiana gets back. I don't want to do anything until I sort things out with her, and this is not a conversation that I'm having with her over the phone. Especially since she'd no doubt try to get me to drag you into the bedroom and let her listen, and I am nowhere near ready for that."

Anna felt her cheeks warming.  _I am. I'm very ready for that right now. Holy fuck._ "I can do that."

"Good." She sighed, rising from the couch. "Want to have dinner? Eating Tiana's food feels weird when I just said all that, so how about I show you my favorite pizza place?"

"Sounds amazing. I'll go get Olaf."

"He'll probably hate it, but we can get him one someplace else on the way back."

Anna called in their orders, a Margerita pizza for Elsa and a meatball for herself, as it was the most normal thing on their menu and one of the only items in English. They stopped at a bakery and grabbed two slices of pizza for Olaf and a cupcake each, and by the time they made it to Motorino's, their pizzas were ready. They weren't going to try to let Olaf eat outside food in the restaurant, so they took it all home. Anna had to remind Olaf to wait, as he was not getting sauce in Elsa's BMW. He only relented when Elsa told him.

"This is delicious," Anna said. "Elsa, why hadn't you showed me this place yet?"

"I'm sorry, that was mean of me."

Anna risked a glance to her. She had some marinara on her chin, and Anna wanted to wipe it off for her, do that romantic move that's in every movie, but she promised that she'd behave. "You've got some sauce on your chin."

"You have some on your blouse."

Anna wiped the marinara from her chest.  _Was she staring at my tits?_ She smiled back and turned back to the TV. They'd let Olaf put on some show that he liked, and Anna had to admit she rather enjoyed it too. They watched it together every week; she was trying to not look too into it in front of Elsa.  _Why? She knows I'm a mom, wouldn't that just make her think I'm a good mom?_

Anna had taken the couch this time and Olaf sat on the far end of it. He was clearly still pretty upset about earlier.  _I'm not feeling like that great of a mom._  "This is a good episode, right Olaf?"

He shrugged.

 _Yep, I have a teenager, just eight years early._ "Honey?"

"It's okay." He took another bite of his pizza and returned his attention to the show.

"Well, how's your food?"

"Okay."

 _That's really all he'll say to me now, isn't it?_  "Well Elsa, how's yours?"

She smiled at her, making Anna's heart flutter.  _Are we really going to_ _–_ _I don't know, date? This is really happening? I'm still so overwhelmed by everything, I can scarcely believe it._  "It's even better than usual. Maybe it's the company."

Anna almost choked on her bite.  _Does that mean I'm better company than Tiana? I know that's not how she meant it, but it would imply that, right? There's no way she'd actually leave Tiana for me, is there?_

A little after the show finished, Olaf took his plate to the sink and asked, looking directly at Elsa, "Can I have my cupcake in my room?"

She glanced to Anna who just shrugged. "Sure, but eat it over a plate."

"Yes, sensei." He grabbed it and headed off.

"What was that about?" Elsa asked, turning to Anna. "He's acting really weird."

Anna shook her head. "Not really."

Elsa carried their cupcakes over and, after straightening her dress, sat down next to Anna. The proximity was already leaving Anna feeling substantially heated.  _Why do we have to be platonic this week?_  "What happened?"

She sighed. "He's just really upset with me. He can join the club."

"I'm not upset with you."

"I am. Although I'm pretty happy with how it turned out."

A faint smile traced its way across Elsa's lips. Anna needed to taste them again, to feel their supple warmth against hers. "Anna, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah, I did. I cheated on Moana."

She blinked. "You told Olaf that we?" Her eyes darted toward the stairs. "Why isn't he mad at me then?"

"Of course, I didn't tell him that!"  _I'm not insane. Completely. At least in that way._ "I told him that I'd broken up with Moana. They were really close and he's not taking it well. He really wanted her to end up as part of the family."

"You didn't have to do that."

Anna gave her a sad smile and shook her head. "I really did. She would always be my second choice. It didn't matter how much I loved her, I cheated on her –"

"I'd hardly call it –"

"I kissed you, and I'd do it again, any second you'd want." Elsa flushed, causing Anna's smile to grow somewhat less bitter. "She didn't deserve that, so I had to end things. I wasn't going to keep being with someone while actively trying to be with someone else."

"Well, fuck." Elsa sighed, leaning back in the couch and peering up at her. She stopped short of putting her feet in Anna's lap, instead just leaving them on the floor. "I know how much Moana meant to you. I never wanted – I'm so sorry, Anna."

"It's not your fault. At all. I'm the one who kissed you."

"I kissed back."  
 _She did. I'm going to savor that forever, no matter what more happens._ "Unlike Tiana, there's no way Moana would be okay with it. It's okay if you stay with Tiana, I'm fine with being your second choice."

"Anna," she groaned, sitting back up, tear-rimmed blue eyes peering into Anna's own. "You'd never be my second choice. You're the most important person in the world to me, I just don't know in what way."

"Sorry. I just meant that it's okay if you don't break up with Tiana."

"If I leave her, it won't be because of this." Screwing her eyes shut and clenching her teeth, Elsa tossed her head back, sending her lying down again. "Fuck. I never decided what I wanted there. Your kiss kind of distracted me."

"Sorry."

"I didn't say it was a bad kiss."

Anna's heart was beating so fast that for a moment she was worried she may be having a heart attack. "Come again?"  _I practically did._

"You heard me. Just being honest." She held her hand up, staring at the sparkling diamond on her finger. "She's trying to be better. I know she is. She even called last night. It just doesn't change our issues. She's never here, she wants kids, and she always seems to expect me to be the one giving everything up, no matter how much she says otherwise."

"I don't think I'm exactly the best person to talk to this about. I'm pretty biased."  _And I have a kid, so if that's a deal-breaker, we might need to talk about that. Even with how he's behaving right now, he will always matter most._

"Perhaps not. I'm asking anyway."

Anna let out a shaky breath, staring down at her sister – her friend. "Well, as someone who was in a marriage that they probably shouldn't have been in — though it did produce Olaf — I guess I'd just say when you imagine yourself with her in ten years, do you think you'd be happy?"

She sighed, her hand falling to the floor. "Probably. We get along really well, it's fun hanging out with her, and the sex is amazing. I love her, but we really don't want the same things anymore. I'm not as work-obsessed as she is, but I still love my job and don't want to give it up to be her housewife, and at the same time, she's still so focused on her own job that she's only even in town maybe one week a month. It might die down eventually, but she sure doesn't seem to want it to."

 _I'm not going to counsel the woman I love to leave her fiancee._ "Have you talked to her about this?"

"Some. Not enough. She just doesn't get it. Especially the kid thing."

"You do know I have a kid too."

"We will deal with that next week, platonic only right now, remember? Though for Olaf, I'm already his aunt, and even being a live-in aunt isn't the same as actually raising a child with Tiana."

 _So she wouldn't want to help with Olaf? Well, she already does. What exactly would it change?_ "You really wouldn't want to – Sorry."

"I don't know. I do care a lot about Olaf, I would certainly help look after him, but that's just it, I clearly don't hate kids. Maybe Tiana's right, and I would come around to it. I just never really had any desire to have my own, and she seems dead set on it."

"You could adopt?"  
Elsa shrugged. "I don't know. I'm going to talk to her about everything when she gets back, I guess. I just need time to sort out all of my feelings."

 _Do not kiss her. That would be the worst thing I_ _could possibly_ _do here._ "Want to suppress all of our conflicted emotions with the power of chocolate?"

She quirked an eyebrow at her, meeting her gaze. "That sounds amazing actually."

So they did just that. They had their cupcakes, as well as some rocky road ice cream that Elsa had in the freezer, and just did their best to relax. It wasn't a date, though it wasn't as far from it as it could have been. They were just two women, who'd kissed, bingeing on chocolate and shitty Netflix movies. It was perfect.

When Elsa went to bed, Anna was still far too excited to sleep, despite how exhausting the day had been. For the last hour, Elsa had draped an arm around her shoulder and hadn't bothered to move it. She'd almost leapt out of her skin, but she'd forced herself to stay still. Elsa hadn't moved any further than that, and it was far from un-sisterly affection, but it had felt like so much more.

She had to call Giselle.

"Don't tell me you actually slept with her?" she asked. "Please do tell me that. Oh god, you did."

"No!"  _I wish._ "We talked."

"Yeah, what did she say?"

Anna found herself grinning ear to ear. "Nothing too much. She just said she wasn't sure what she felt and that she was up for exploring it."

"No fucking way!" Giselle shouted. "Oh my god this is a dream come true. I mean in my dreams you've already had your way with her at this point — or the other way around — but I'll take it. Oh my god, Anna, this is so amazing. I'm so happy for you."

"Don't get all excited yet. She still hadn't decided anything. She says she's not in love with me, but she's really not sure what she feels. She did say I was a good kisser though."

"I bet you are."

Anna paused. "How are you straight?"

"Believe me, Esmeralda is pretty annoyed by that too. It seems to still be quite true, tried kissing her, felt nothing."

"Wow. I didn't think anyone could not feel something when Esmeralda kissed them. She's kinda amazing."

"Better kisser than Elsa?"

 _Kind of. But it was just our first kiss, and it was awkward, and scary. It was still good and magical, but it was stopped so quickly that it didn't really get to be anything more than that._ "I'll have to do some more research."

Giselle giggled. "Good. Kiss the hell out of her. Kiss every inch of her."

"Hoping to." Anna collapsed into her bed. This just felt so creepy. They were supposed to be friends, it was still her sister, and she was just across the hall. "You really think is okay? I'm not some horrifying freak or anything for wanting this? Nani still thinks I should get therapy."

"Nani can fuck off. Your love is beautiful and pure and a little hot."  _Just a little?_ "You and Elsa are perfect for each other, and now it sounds like she might feel it too. I mean didn't you say that she had an ex-girlfriend who looked just like you? Come on, she's clearly been repressing this for years. The girl's crazy for you."

"I hope you're right." She threw the blanket over her head. "We're supposed to be platonic this week though, until Tiana gets home. I need to stop this, at least for now."

"Wow, not even gonna think of her before bed?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "What is wrong with you?"

"I just believe in your love."

"We'll see. I'm trying so hard not to get my hopes up. I feel like I've wanted this my whole life, even though I know it's just been a few months, and it's so close, I just want to reach out and take it, but if I do, then I'll ruin any chance of it. And it might never happen, anyway. I need to remember that."

"It'll happen. I know it will." She sounded so sure of herself that Anna couldn't help but believe it, at least a little.

"Maybe you're right."

"I am."

Her cheeks hurt from how hard she was smiling. "Holy shit. I'm gonna get together with my – with Elsa."

"Sure sounds like it."

Suddenly, Anna found herself drained. She'd had such a roller coaster of emotions pent up within her, finally saying that out loud was like letting a tidal wave drag her along. She still had to make Olaf forgive her — maybe she should buy him a few dozen video games — and she still felt miserable over what she'd done to Moana, but the hope for a bright future was looming so near, that it was almost overwhelming.  _Elsa could be my girlfriend._ "I'm gonna go to sleep. I'm completely exhausted."

"Have fun. You should try asking Elsa if you can join her."

"I'm hanging up now. Have a good night."

She fell asleep almost instantly and Elsa filled her dreams. Some of them were of her losing her, once even literally in a maze, but most of them were of them together, happy, with Olaf, just living the life that part of her must have always wanted. It was the best sleep she'd had in months.

The next few days went by the much the same way. Olaf was still upset, but he at least was starting to be willing to talk to her, and Elsa was spending almost every waking second with her. The physical affection was rare, but it happened, and they talked about everything. She was dreading Tiana coming home almost as much as she was excited for the week of enforced platonicity to end. It came sooner than either of them expected.


	47. Elsa - Was I Really That Unhappy?

            Elsa woke up to the feeling of someone else crawling into her bed, the mattress trembling as a woman climbed toward her. “Anna?” she asked. _You said you could wait until Tiana got back. I still don’t have more of an answer. Did she have a bad dream?_ She smirked at the silhouette.

            “Sounds like you had a more interesting time than I’d expected,” Tiana’s voice replied.

            “You’re back?” _I can not believe I said that then. Obviously it wasn’t Anna. Tiana always comes back early or late, I shouldn’t be surprised._

“I missed you. We were able to wrap up my part today, so I figured I’d just head on home. Would you rather it be Anna?”

            _That’s the question, isn’t it?_ “We should talk,” Elsa managed, sitting up, any thought of further sleep vanishing from her mind. She’d been dreading this conversation all week, despite knowing full well how Tiana would react.

            “Wow. That sounds serious. You two really kissed, didn’t you? Did you do more? I knew she had a crush on you! That is so hot.” Tiana’s hand hit Elsa’s thigh as she pulled herself to her, clearly only interested in a serious discussion and nothing more.

            “Yeah.”

            She faltered, Elsa imagined that she was staring at her, possibly even blinking, her mouth hanging open in shock, but she couldn’t truly tell, they had quite effective black-out curtains. “I love being right.”

            “Here I was thinking you were just projecting because of how badly you wanted her.”

            “Both can be true.” Her lips met Elsa’s cheek. “This mean you like her too?”

            She sighed, leaning back in the bed, she could have a conversation lying down. “Hell if I know. I’ve been trying to sort it out this whole time and all I’ve managed is more confusion. If you asked me a week ago, I’d have known for a fact that I had no weird incestuous feelings for my sister, and now she just has me so confused.”  
            “What’s confusing exactly? You know how important she is to you, and clearly you like her –”

            “Do I?” Elsa tried to meet her gaze. “What if I’m only doing this because I’m scared of losing her again?”

            “Are you?”

            She shrugged, silently gripping Tiana’s hand. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I’ve been going through all of my feelings since we kissed, and maybe they’re more romantic than I thought they were, but at the same time I sure as hell can’t see me having started this, so doesn’t that show that I’m just going along with her?”

            She squeezed Elsa’s hand reassuringly. “If there was nothing there and your sister kissed you, I don’t think you’d react like this. Maybe you’re not all the way there, but there’s definitely something. I’d always kind of wondered, I mean have you seen Anastasia?”

            “Yes, we’ve all made that connection by now.”

            Giggling, she leaned forward and kissed Elsa’s temple. “That’s amazing. So are you actually together now?”

            Elsa shook her head, then realized that as Tiana couldn’t see her, she ought to reply verbally. “No. I said I wanted to wait until I talked to you and that I needed time to think about it.”

            “Well, you’ve talked to me, and you’ve had time. What do you think?’

            “I’m still unsure. It just feels so wrong, almost like I’m taking advantage of her. She’s my little sister.”

            “Did you? Cause that really doesn’t sound like you.”

            “No, she kissed me. It was completely unprompted as far as I’m aware, but I did kiss her back after.”

            Tiana’s thumb traced slow circles on Elsa’s knuckles. “Then maybe she took advantage of you, but you’re definitely in the clear. I know that incest is scary – and a little hot – very hot – but that doesn’t mean that you’re doing anything wrong. That girl is head-over-heels in love with you and if you’re feeling anything for her, then you should see where things can go?”

            “You really think so?”

            “Of course, I do. I’ve been rooting for this since I first met her.”

            “You’re so weird.”     

            “Maybe a little.” Tiana leaned back, resting on the pillow beside Elsa. “How’d it all happen? I have to know. How long did you make it after you said you weren’t going to kiss her? I can’t believe you broke your word,” she teased.

            “Like twelve hours.”

            Tiana cackled. “Couldn’t even last a day.”

            “That’s what she said. I mean literally. Anna said the exact same thing when I told her we’d had that conversation.”

            “A girl after my own heart – in so many way.” She nuzzled against Elsa, resting her head against her shoulder. “What prompted it? Did she just kiss you out of nowhere? Did you ask?”

            With a heavy sigh, Elsa replied, “I was just sort of freaking out, and apparently Albert had talked her into telling me anyway, and we had a few drinks –”

            “Wait wait wait, Gaston knew? And he got to help? She could’ve talked to me! I am almost her sister-in-law after all, that’s practically her type.”

            Despite the fact that Tiana wouldn’t be able to see it, Elsa rolled her eyes. “He figured it out on his own and then they talked. Now, as I was saying,” she glared in Tiana’s general direction, “apparently she just kind of got sick of waiting her turn, or maybe she wanted to comfort me, I’m really not sure, and she kissed me. She pulled back immediately, and I kissed her. I still can’t figure out exactly why.”

            “’Cause she’s beautiful and you’re in love with her.”

            “I don’t think it’s quite that.”

            “Well then, maybe it will be. Well, you know what this means, she has to move in with us. I’ve always wanted to try having a third person in a relationship, don’t worry, she doesn’t have to date me, not until she’s ready, but I want to get to watch at some point. She’s really hot.”

            _I’m not sure I have the grounds to object there anymore. She is hot._ “You’re kind of crazy, honey.”

            “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I just like redheads and Anna is the most amazing and beautiful of all of them. I’d even say it in front of Anastasia.”

            “Only because you know Anya won’t sleep with you.”

            “I’ve reformed my ways, I’m not the womanizer I once was. I’m a family woman now. So, maybe I shouldn’t have been quite so creepy just now, but I’m so excited for you! I won’t even start making moves on other women even after all this, I made a promise.” Her hand came to rest on Elsa’s belly. “I want to make you see just how good I can be for you.” _Why do I have so much trouble believing that?_ Her hand pulled away suddenly, and the bed shifted as she sat up. “What were you freaking out about?”

            _Here we go._ Elsa cleared her throat, she was having trouble finding the words in there. She’d tried so many times to sort out what she’d say but what she wanted changed every time she tried to come up with it and it made any conclusion impossible. “Us,” she muttered.

            “You mean – Marrying me?”

            _I want to take it back already._ “Yes.”

            Elsa could feel her peering into her eyes through the darkness. “Do you still want to marry me?”

            _I swear I’m not this indecisive. Why can’t I make my mind up about anything this week?_ “I love you.”

            “That’s not what I asked.” She gasped, stifling it with her hand as she pulled away. “You really don’t want to, do you? I’m glad that that was all the impetus you needed to start things with the right girl for you anyway – fuck, Elsa, is that really what you want? Not the being with Anna thing, I’m fine with that, do you want to leave me?”

            _I don’t know._ “That’s not what I’m saying.”

            “You just don’t want to marry me. We’ve been together for five years, we live together, you’re my best friend, I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. Marrying you was as natural and definite an idea as opening my first restaurant. I thought you felt the same – I know you had your doubts, but I didn’t think it was that bad. Elsa, you don’t want to marry me.”

            _I need to tell her I do. I love her so much, I can’t lose her. We just want such different things now, and I don’t see that ever changing._ “Will you want to spend more time here?” _I did not just say that._ “What if I never do want kids?”

            She let out a shuddering breath, the covers dragging as she crawled out of bed. “We could work all of that out. You’re still just avoiding saying it. If you wanted to marry me, then it wouldn’t be so hard to tell me that. Well, if things are so uneven, then I can just go. I wish you and Anna nothing but happiness, I mean that completely sincerely. I will always love you, but if after all this time you still aren’t sure if you want to marry me, then that’ll never change.”

            _Stop her._ “Tiana –”

            “Forget it. It’s fine. You can just have the house, I’ll send for my stuff when I figure things out. Goodbye, Elsa.” The door opened, letting in starlight only obscured by Tiana’s retreating form.

            “Wait.” Elsa tore herself from the bed, chasing after her. “Please.”

            She turned back to her, already at the bottom of the stairs. “I was so excited to be home, with my fiancee, and you don’t even want that.”

            “Of course, I do. I’m upset about how little you’re here, I always want you here. I love you.”

            Wiping at her eye, Tiana shook her head. “Fine, then do you want to marry me? Please, Elsa, I need you to say it. Just give me a reason to stay. Give me anything. Do you want to marry me?”

            Elsa opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. She stared at the woman who had been her everything for the last five years, the woman she loved, and she couldn’t bring herself to say the only thing that would keep her there. She’d spent so long seeking an answer, and none had come, maybe that was the answer. “I don’t know.” _I know that’s as good as no though._

            Tiana spun on her heel without another word and walked out. Elsa sank to her knees as the door slammed shut. “I’m so sorry.”

            Minutes passed without her moving. Part of her was waiting for Tiana to come back, another part was trying to urge her to chase after her or call her, but the part that Elsa didn’t want to acknowledge was just happy that that was finally settled, that she didn’t have to debate marrying someone who couldn’t give her what she needed and to whom she couldn’t give what she needed. She hated that part of her. She liked to assume it was the same part that was trying to convince her that she should get together with her sister, but she knew that couldn’t be the case. Only the romantic that had been all but drowned in cynicism and practicality would say that, and that part would be fighting for Tiana too.

            With far more effort than it deserved, she pulled herself back to her feet and made her way to the kitchen to make some coffee. As badly as she wanted to just curl up in bed and wait for it to stop hurting, she knew there was no way she’d fall back asleep. _I could always talk to Anna, but I’m in no state for that right now._

All of the coffee grounds she had were bought by Tiana. Tearing up, she slammed the cabinets closed. She couldn’t bring herself to use them right then, it was like stealing from her after she’d already taken so much. _Well, Oaken’s is closed. Where can you get coffee at —_ she checked the clock on the microwave – four AM.

            By 4:30, she was back home with gas station coffee and a couple cheap chocolate bars. None of it tasted particularly good, but she didn’t deserve good, she deserved the kind of food that Tiana would have regarded with utmost disdain.

            Locking the door behind her, Elsa turned around and found Olaf sitting on the couch, fidgeting with the blanket on the back of it. “Olaf? What’re you doing up?” she asked, taking the seat beside him on the couch.

            “I heard yelling.”

            “Sorry.”

            “It’s okay. Yelling is at least still talking.” _How bad had Anna and Kristoff been? I wish I’d been there for her years ago._ He looked around, as if something was missing and he just couldn’t place his finger on it. “Where’s Aunt Tiana? I thought she left with you.”

            Elsa bit her lip, trying to keep from breaking down into tears again in front of the kid. “She’s not here.”

            “When will she be back?”

            Sighing, Elsa let her head hit the back of the couch. This was too much. She wasn’t ready to relive it all, but she couldn’t just lie to her nephew. She hated having to hold it together like this; she was home, where she could always just be by herself and deal with her feelings by drinking excessively and eating food that Tiana didn’t approve of. _Wow, even in dealing with breaking up with her I’m thinking about how she’s never here and always stopping me from eating fast food and pizza. Was I really that unhappy with her?_

            Olaf stared up at her, silently waiting for her response.

            Elsa searched for words. _How do you even talk about breakups with a child?_ “She’s not coming back.”

            “Oh.” He stared down at his lap, sniffling and looking to be holding back tears. _He gets me._

            “Want some chocolate?” Elsa fished in the bag she was still carrying and produced a chocolate bar.

            He met her eyes and nodded, then snatched it out of her hand, tearing it apart without hesitation. As he bit into it, a tear ran down his cheek. “Did I do something wrong?”

            “No, why would you ask that?”

            “Everyone around me is breaking up. You all seemed fine before, did I do something? I didn’t mean it. Aunt Tiana and Aunt Moana are really cool and now I might never see them again. What did I do?”

            The bag fell on the floor as Elsa wrapped an arm around Olaf, pulling him to her. She took a sip of her coffee, staring down at him. Comforting him was so incredibly out of her area of expertise. _I’m not even that great at doing it for clients._ “You haven’t done anything wrong. Things are just really complicated for your mother and I right now,” _don’t make it sound too obvious,_ “This was probably going to happen no matter what. Tiana and I have been having troubles for a while.”

            “But you love each other. You even had her buy me my new lightsaber!”

            “We do. Sometimes that’s just not enough.”

            He took a bigger bite of the chocolate, another tear streaming down his cheek. “That’s not true. You kiss and end up happily ever after. I’ve been told that my whole life, and it’s true. Love conquers everything. If you love her enough, and if Mama loves Aunt Moana enough, then you should be able to get through anything. Did you even try to fight for her?” He shoved the rest of the bar in his mouth, the tears, coming faster now, dribbling onto the couch.

            “Olaf –”

            “Bring her back!”

            Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose, trying with all of her might not to join him in crying. _I wish it was that simple._ “It doesn’t work like that, Olaf.”

            “Yes, it does.”

            “Do you think your father and mother should’ve fought harder? From everything I’ve heard, you’re just glad that they can be happier now.”

            He glared up at her. _Cross-examination, that’s a thing I can do at least._ “It’s not the same! You and Tiana weren’t fighting like they were, and you actually talked to each other. Mama and Papa would go days without seeing each other or saying a word, they weren’t happy.” _The kid’s too smart._

            “Maybe we weren’t that bad yet, but Tiana and I just avoided every issue, and we never talked because she was never here.” _What the hell am I doing? I do not need to explain my break up to a six-year old. It’s none of his business._

“Love conquers all!” The intensity of his glare was damn impressive. Someone his size should not be capable of being at all intimidating, especially when they were so sweet and timid. If it was Lilo it wouldn’t have been quite as unnerving.

            Elsa patted his head and let him go. “Sometimes it doesn’t. I’m sorry, that’s all there is to it. Go back to bed, it’s not even five AM.”

            “I can’t sleep.”

            _Don’t say it._

            “The yelling woke me up and I can’t sleep anymore.”

            _So it’s my fault. Great._ “I’m sorry. We didn’t realize we were yelling. I’ll try to keep it down if it ever happens again.”

            He nodded, his face still grave. “You are my sensei, so I guess I can forgive you.”

            “You’re a very noble padawan.”

            “Want to go lightsaber fight with me?” His face lit up with a massive grin as he pounced to his feet and waited for her response, barely able to stand still.

            _That was quick. I guess he’s over it._ “Let me finish my coffee and have some chocolate.”

            “But I wanna fight.”

            “Give me five minutes.”

            “Three.”

            Elsa rolled her eyes. “Five. Who’s the sensei here?”

            He grumbled, but relented. “Where are the lightsabers? I’ll go get them?”

“I don’t know. You were with her when she bought them, where did she put them?”

            Pausing to consider this, Olaf placed his hand on his chin, clearly this was a matter deserving of the deepest contemplation. Suddenly, the smile reappeared, his missing tooth on full display. “They’re in my room!”  
            “Go get them. I’ll just be a few minutes.” Elsa grabbed the remaining chocolate, a pack of peanut butter cups, and popped the first into her mouth. She hated to admit it, but she was actually feeling a good bit better. _Maybe I just needed someone to explain my reasoning to. I‘m always so much better about organizing my thoughts when there’s a jury._

            It was too dark to fight outside, so they just had to make due in the halls. Olaf tossed her a blue saber, holding his own purple one out in front of him. “Have at you!”

            “That’s not very jedi or ninja.”

            “Then what should I say?”

            Elsa considered this for a fraction of a second. “May the Force be with you.”

            “May the Force be with you.” He held the blade aloft behind his head, looking like he was holding a baseball bat. _Good thing he’s so weak._

            Elsa blocked the blow easily, the sound effects emulating the theatrics that the duel deserved. As he was her padawawn, she could hardly show off her full jedi skills, so she allowed him to beat her back, blocking his blows but conceding ground to him. When he leapt at her, she had to catch him lest he hurt himself and received a smack to the head with the plastic weapon for her trouble.

            “I got you!”

            “So you did. I guess I’m dead now.”

            “No!” His eyes went wide. “What have I done? Sensei! I’m so sorry, please forgive me. You can’t be dead.”  
            Once she’d set him safely on the ground, Elsa keeled over backwards, falling as slowly as she could onto the recliner. She let her head drift to the side, her arms hanging limp, dropping the saber.

            “I shall avenge you!”

            “But you’re the one who killed me.”

            “You’re dead.”

            He had a point. “I have risen stronger than you can imagine. Now I am one with the Force. I am unstoppable.” _That sounds too evil. I’m supposed to be a Jedi._ “Now I can bring about justice single-handedly.”

            “That’s so cool! I want to die too.”

            Elsa ran him through with her saber, causing it to collapse. He clutched at his stomach, collapsing onto the couch. “Tell Mama I love her.”

            Rolling her eyes, Elsa waited for Olaf to finish enacting his elaborate death. His tongue lulled out of his head as he spasmed. “Olaf, don’t actually die.”

            “Lilo makes me practice a lot.”

            “That’s very concerning.”

            “But it’s fun.” He sat back up, the gap in his teeth showing again. “Am I stronger now?”

            “You’re the strongest Jedi-ninja in all the galaxy, save for me, of course.”

            “Lilo is gonna be so jealous!”

            Elsa giggled. She was glad she’d given in. Nothing helps you deal with breakup blues quite like a good swordfight.

            She turned around to find that Anna was watching them, standing in the kitchen in a bathrobe. “Did you just kill my son?” she asked, covering a yawn.

            “I got better!” he insisted.

            “Is there coffee?”

            “I don’t know.”

            Elsa stared at him. “I think she was asking me.”  
            “That makes sense.” He nodded.

            “I have a little more coffee. I grabbed it at a gas station earlier. Want it?” She held it out to her and it was promptly ripped from her hand. _Did I never teach her manners? It would certainly explain Olaf._

            “It’s terrible,” she coughed, setting aside the empty cup.

            “I didn’t feel up for making any of the good stuff.”

            Her eyebrows knitted, Anna took a step toward Elsa. “Why? Did something happen?”

            “She broke up with Aunt Tiana,” Olaf said.

            Gritting her teeth, Elsa glared at him. _He’s a kid. I can’t be mad at him for this, he doesn’t understand._

            “What?” Anna swallowed, staring agape at her – whatever they were at this point. “Elsa I didn’t want you to –” she looked back to Olaf, “What happened?”

            Elsa turned to him. “Now that you’re so much more powerful, today’s training is complete. Go play your game or try to go back to sleep.”

            “Yes, Sensei,” he muttered, running off to his room.

            They waited until the door closed before Anna led Elsa over to the couch, clasping her hand. “Did she come home? Is this about me? Does this mean you’ve made a decision? No, that sounds awful, I don’t care, I mean I do, but that’s not what matters right now. Are you okay? I’m sorry if Olaf was bothering you. I love you. What happened?”

            The emotions seemed to all be flooding back. Tears were forming in Elsa’s eyes and she attempted to blink them away and found herself leaning against her sister’s shoulder. “It’s not about you. She was actually thrilled for us. She’d apparently called it ages ago, I guess you were even less subtle than I thought.”

            “I need to work on that.”

            “Yeah,” she sighed.

            “So what was it about?”

            She rubbed her face against Anna’s shoulder, leaving tear marks behind. She didn’t want to talk about it. “She figured out what prompted your kiss, my doubts.”

            “I’m so sorry.” Her hand ran through Elsa’s hair and her lips met her temple.

            “It was going to happen eventually. We wanted too different of things.”

            “Maybe there was some other way.”

            Elsa shook her head again. “It’s too late now.”

            “So she just left you after she figured that out?”

            _I should’ve just gone back to bed. I’m so tired of thinking about this._ “Not quite. She asked me repeatedly if I wanted to marry her. When I couldn’t give her an answer, she decided that she couldn’t handle it, and she left. She deserves better, she deserves someone who can actually give her a real answer. I don’t know why I’ve been so indecisive of late. I hate it. But, I suppose, if after all this time, I still don’t know, I probably didn’t want to marry her after all.”

            “Well then, I guess you came up with an answer.”

            Elsa blinked, sitting up. “I guess I did.”

            Anna bit her lip, glancing away from Elsa. “I wish I could’ve been there for you. I can’t believe I slept through it.”

            “It’s been maybe an hour. You are here for me.” Elsa squeezed Anna’s hand. For so long they hadn’t had each other, now it was weird to think that she had a crisis and Anna was right there. A year ago she wouldn’t have even thought to turn to her, now doing so felt so natural. She felt safe with her. “Thank you. I’m glad you’re here.”

            “It sounds like Olaf was the one who really helped.”

            “He’s a good kid.”

            “I thought you hated kids.”

            “Anna,” she grumbled. “Not right now, please. My brain is fried. I just want to lie here with you and not think of anything more.”

            She nodded, leaning back in the couch. Her hand met Elsa’s shoulder, Elsa didn’t resist, and Anna moved her so that her head lay in her lap. “There, you wanted to lie here, then actually lie down.” She slid her fingers through Elsa’s hair, toying idly with it. “You can fall back asleep if you want. I probably will.”

            “I could hear your heartbeat when I was leaning against your shoulder. I don’t think you’ll be falling asleep that easily.”

            “Shush, you.”

            Her own racing heartbeat shocked Elsa. Maybe there really was something here. It still felt so weird, and she hoped so desperately that she wasn’t just rebounding, but she had thought it was Anna in her bed that morning. She’d been dreaming of her. _Is this really what I want?_ She swallowed down the lump in her throat, peering into the teal eyes above her. She’d never noticed just how beautiful they were.

            Anna cupped her cheek, a smile curling up the soft pink lips that Elsa had already felt against her own. _She’s my little sister. It just seems so wrong. Though even Tiana was pretty insistent that there was nothing wrong about it. We’re two consenting adults, there’s no power imbalance, is it really that bad?_

“Something on your mind?” Anna asked.

            By way of answering, Elsa sat up, her hand resting on the back of Anna’s head, and pulled her into a kiss. It was less clumsy, less terrified than it had been the other night. Anna’s breath caught against her, her hands sliding to Elsa back as she returned the kiss, soft lips meeting Elsa’s.

            Every instinct told her that this was a terrible idea, that she shouldn’t be doing this, but if she was being honest, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it since their first kiss. She wasn’t in love with her, that was still true, but she may well be falling for her.

            She pulled back, looking into those gorgeous eyes, panting lightly, focusing only on the woman before her, throwing away all of her other concerns. It felt right.

            Anna smiled nervously, her cheeks flushing. “Does this mean you made up your mind?”  
            Elsa nodded.

            “So you want to try being with me? I don’t know what exactly that would make us, but you want to, I guess, date?”

            She nodded again, leaning back against Anna’s shoulder. “Yeah, I think I do.”

            To Anna’s credit, she managed not to squeal in excitement, instead only holding her, planting the occasional kiss on her cheeks, nose, eyelids, and lips. Elsa felt so much better. She was doing the right thing. She was almost certain of it.


	48. Anna - What I've Wanted for so Long

            “So, it’s been a few days,” Anna pointed out as they had breakfast. She wrung her hands, trying her best not to freak out. Their second kiss was almost three days earlier, Elsa had said that she was willing to give this a try, but nothing more had happened. “Could we maybe try having a date tonight? If you want to. Not that we have to. I know you’re still dealing with your breakup. I don’t want to rush you.” _I’m still here for three more weeks. Unless she wants me to stay for longer._

            Elsa glanced around, doubtless making sure that Olaf was still upstairs. Letting him know could definitely complicate things. If Kristoff found out, he could make custody a nightmare if he was feeling vindictive. Elsa had driven this into Anna’s head a few times since they agreed to date. “You’re right. We should do that. I’m sorry I’ve been such a mess.”

            “It’s okay.” Anna offered a warm smile, clasping Elsa’s hand in between her own. “I know how important she was to you. You have every right to feel like this. I just want to cheer you up and maybe try to woo you a little. We don’t have to go anywhere, just a night for the two of us, where we can officially call it a date, and maybe have a babysitter for Olaf so we don’t have to worry about him finding out?”

            Elsa’s smile was weak but genuine. _So she really does like the idea? She isn’t having second thoughts?_ “That sounds great. Maybe we can order in and watch a movie or something?”

            Anna shook her head. “Kind of, but I have a whole plan. If that’s all right?“  
“What did you have in mind?” she asked, studying Anna intently.  
“You’ll find out. I’ve been thinking of this, probably for way longer than I should have, I want it to perfect.” Lifting Elsa’s hand to her lips, Anna planted a soft kiss on her knuckles. “You’re perfect Elsa, and I’m not going to have you just dating me because you think you might like me, I’m going to prove it to you.”

            She cocked an eyebrow at her.

            “Not telling you anything.” Anna stuck out her tongue. “Would you ask Belle if she’d be up for babysitting tonight? Also, can I borrow your car?”

            Her look grew more inquisitive, but Anna refused to answer any further. With a heavy sigh, Elsa rolled her eyes and said, “Fine. I’ll go ask her. Check to see if your son’s even awake. When were you thinking?”

            “Around six? Seven?”

            “Sounds great.” With a quick peck on Anna’s cheek that made her heart skip a beat, Elsa walked off to call her friend. _How am I going to survive actually dating her? I think I just had a heart attack._

Anna managed to find her legs again and shakily stood up. She swallowed. For months, she’d been dreaming of this, and now it was really happening. She could finally be with Elsa. _Breathe in, breathe out,_ she paced herself, and made her way upstairs, where she found Olaf sitting in his bed. “Morning, mama,” he greeted her with a yawn, his arms reaching up to the ceiling.

            “I woke you up half an hour ago.” She placed her hands on her hips, looking as disapproving as she could manage while about to jump for joy and pass out from anxiety over her upcoming date.

            “I fell back asleep.”

            “Go brush your teeth. We saved some bacon for you and you’ve got your cereal.” She knew better than to offer him the eggs that she and Elsa had had, Olaf wanted nothing to do with that.

            “Okay.” He yawned again, his eyelids drooping.

            “Did you go to bed when I told you to last night?”

            “Yes~,” he offered, showing his teeth in the least convincing smile Anna had ever seen.

            “Do I need to take your Switch at bedtime?”  
            “No!”

            Anna shook her head. “You can sleep for two more hours, but if you do this again tonight, you can’t keep it in your bedroom anymore.”  
            His face fell and he leapt from bed. “No, Mama. I didn’t stay up late. I’ll be good. I can get up now.”

            She patted his head. “It’s okay. You’re on vacation, just go get a little more sleep, all right, honey? I don’t want you being exhausted all day.”

            “I guess.”  
            “You’ll probably get to see Belle again today, does that sound fun?”

            He yawned again. “Yeah, she’s nice. She’s not going to be my new mom, is she?”

            Anna chuckled, leading him back to bed and sitting beside him. “No, Olaf. She won’t be.”

            “Oh.”

            “Go sleep. We can talk about this later.”  
            “Okay, Mama.”

            She kissed his cheek and tucked him back in, closing the door behind her. They still had plenty of time before the date, she was in no hurry. She just had to figure out how to handle the rest of her time until then. _Ten hours to kill. What am I gonna do?_ She grabbed her laptop from her room and headed back downstairs, finding Elsa on the couch. “So what’d she say?” Anna asked, taking her seat near Elsa, her thigh brushing against her sister’s – her friend’s. _Not saying sister. I promised._

            “She’s up for it. She said six-thirty just to be safe, Anya can be a bit of a slave driver.”

            “Oh!” Anna gasped. “Like they’re – I know a couple like that, or are they a trouple now, throuple? Three-couple? I don’t know what the term is.”

            Elsa stared at her. “What?” It took her a moment, but she added, “Oh, no, not like that. Really, I wouldn’t have guessed you walked in those circles.”

            “I mean, not like I do it myself or anything. You don’t have any friends like that?”

            Elsa shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of. But Anya is her boss, remember?”

            “Oh. Right.”

            Elsa squeezed her hand. “So drop him off around then, and then I’m yours all night.”

            Anna felt her cheeks burning as she busied herself with her laptop. “Yeah. Definitely. Sounds great.”

            Leaning back, Elsa’s leg crossed over Anna’s as she propped herself against the cushions. “Want to watch anything?”

            “If you want. I’m just checking for a few things.” _Someplace in town has to have it. Why didn’t I just order it when I thought of this? I knew I was gonna need it._

            “Well I’m gonna watch the news then.”

            So Anna had to learn about current events. She so rarely had the time for it between parenting and teaching, so it was always a bit traumatizing when she was forced to hear about them. It was completely worth it, however, as she managed to find exactly what she was looking for. There were two in stock, and it was about an hour away in New York traffic. She’d just have to leave early, go to the store, maybe get something for Olaf since she’d have to bring him anyway and she still needed to buy his love, and then grab dinner and make it home by seven for the perfect night with Elsa. She could do it. She was going to woo the woman of her dreams.

 

 

* * *

 

 

            Anna pulled back into the garage, her heart racing, the DVD boxset and pizzas sitting in the passenger seat, with the latter’s smell filling the car. She took in a deep breath, marinara infused air filling her lungs as she tried to calm herself. It was time. It was really happening. _I have a date with Elsa. As soon as I walk inside. I just have to get up and I finally have a chance to see where things can go. This is what I’ve wanted for so long, and it’s right here._ Her exhale was shaky, her nerves were growing increasingly frayed. _And I might ruin everything and make my sister hate me and we both lost our other partners because of me and I don’t know what we’d do –_ Another deep breath followed by a slower, steadier exhale. _No backing out now. I love her, and I’m going to show her that she can love me too. There’s nothing wrong with this, and it’ll be fine._

            _Maybe I should call Giselle. I could use a pep talk. No, then the pizza would get cold._

            She shook her head, snapping her seat belt off and turning off the engine. With the plastic bag containing Elsa’s surprise strapped to her wrist, she grabbed the boxes of Motorino pizza and headed inside. She could do this. She would do this.

            “Hey.” Elsa beamed at her, looking up from her laptop on the couch. “Was just wondering when you’d be home. I was looking over some work a first year needed some help with, it’ll only be a minute – is that Motorino?”

            “Is it cheating if I use your favorite pizza place to woo you?” _Stop saying woo. It doesn’t even sound like a word anymore. Definitely don’t use ‘court.’ Or maybe the lawyer would like being courted._ She managed not to laugh at the pun she hadn’t said out loud, she didn’t want to look too crazy on their first date.

            “It is definitely not. Give me a slice, I’ll be two minutes.”

            _But date! We’re eating together._ She took her seat next to Elsa, setting the boxes on the dining room table, the bag tapping Elsa’s knee as she leaned over.

            “What’s that?” Elsa asked.

            “Finish your thing and I’ll tell you.” Anna was working very hard to keep her cool. _She’s still Elsa. We had pizza and watched shows all the time when we were young, I even actually watched a few episodes of this with her. Hopefully I’ll like it more now._

            “Fine.” Elsa tore into a slice of pizza, tapping on her keyboard with a single hand. Swallowing, she glanced over the screen, nodded, and clicked her mouse. She closed the laptop and set it on the table next to her. “All right. I’m done. They did good work, actually, nothing spectacular, but I’m trying to actually use encouragement on the associates.”

            “What did you used to use?”

            “We’d keelhaul them.”

            Anna blinked, staring at the older woman. _I can’t call her my sister._ “What?”

            Chuckling, Elsa gave a cheeky grin. “Let’s just say that most of us partners had our work torn to shreds for the slightest issue and just in general had a pretty toxic environment. Those of us it worked for turned out amazing, but it also ended up burning out a lot of people like Anya. I’m trying to not keep doing that.”

            “Well then, I’m proud of you. You can make your law firm a lot better.” _She’s always so impressive._ “I know it’s not really the same, but I always try to use positive encouragement with my students. It’s why I have as lax of a late work policy as I do. It gets abused a lot, but letting students know that you believe they can succeed works a lot better than just beating them down.” _And lets them walk all over you, but I am getting better about that._

            “How is it not the same? Your students are younger and probably aren’t as knowledgeable as our first year associates should be, but it’s still the same idea. You don’t need to belittle what you do, I’m sure you’re an amazing teacher.”

            Anna scoffed, looking up at Elsa. _She really means that?_ “I was. High school is a lot tougher for me, but I do seem to finally be getting better there. I just miss teaching elementary school. That was what I always wanted to do.”

            Elsa swallowed, setting her slice down in the box and turning to face Anna. “You never told me about that. I just assumed you were happy with the change. What happened?”

            Anna managed a grim smile. “My old school closed down. The district was low on money and couldn’t keep all of them running, and we were unlucky enough to be expendable. I was fortunate to be able to find a new teaching job immediately, though not as lucky as Rapunzel,” she grumbled. “A lot of us had to move or find a new job, but Jefferson High School hired me immediately, and had me teaching English, which was weird. I never even did my reading in high school, making my students do it has always felt insane.”

            “I knew you were a bad student! You always told me you did your reading.” Elsa’s eyes narrowed.

            Anna stuffed some pizza in her face. _Right, still sort of dating my mom. That’s weird._

            Elsa laughed, gently squeezing Anna’s arm. “Believe it or not, I skipped a couple books myself in school.”

            She choked on her pizza. After hitting her chest and ending up appearing red-faced and foolish, Anna stared at her. “You did not!”

            “Catcher in the Rye was terrible, and I only read half of Good Earth. They were both so dull and dragged so much. Even my legal textbooks were better than that.”

            “I don’t think my image of you can handle this information. You were always my perfect – that perfect student who I could never live up to.”

            “You didn’t have to live up to me. You were amazing in your own right. Still are. Look at the life you’ve made, I can barely hold anything together besides my job, and you have a great son, a good job – even if it’s not the one you want, and apparently even some students respecting you. Most of my associates just fear me. You’re perfect just as you are, Anna.”

            _Now if only that could sound a bit less platonic. It’s such a mom or big sister answer._ She leaned back, her shoulder meeting Elsa’s. Elsa started to move, but seemed unsure of how to respond. It was awkward, and that was oddly good news to Anna. _First dates are supposed to be kind of awkward, it’s tough to figure out appropriate intimacy, even if I might not be the best example what with sleeping with Esmeralda on our first date and making out with Moana before we even had a date, it’s still not something that would be awkward between siblings, right?_ “Want to find out what I bought?”

            “Nah, I’m over that, I want to hear more about you as a teacher.”

            “Well, I’m telling you anyway.” Elsa smelled amazing, it was a little distracting. _I’m using the same shampoo, why don’t I smell that good?_ Finally removing the bag from her wrist, she withdrew the box set containing all 168 episodes of The Practice. With a nervous smile, she held it out to Elsa. There was a good chance it was a knock-off, as shady as that store had looked, but it was still the right show, and she knew how important it had been to Elsa when they were young.

            “Oh, Anna.” Anna could swear she saw a tear in Elsa’s eyes as she hesitantly reached out, grasping the box set like it was some sacred relic. “You didn’t have to –”

            “I want tonight to be perfect. Your favorite pizza and the show that helped you decide to be a lawyer. Let’s watch it.”

            “Anna, you hated it.”

            _But I love you._ “I didn’t hate it, I was just a bratty teenager. I know what it means to you, and I want to give it another chance.”

            “I didn’t exactly end up like them, you know. I’m not a defense attorney, well not primarily, and until recently never for indigent clients.”

            “But you are a lawyer, and an amazing one at that. I promise, none of them will judge you.”

            “Eugene will.”

            “I don’t know who that is, but I bet he won’t.”

            Elsa smirked. “I’ll take that bet.”

“You’ll take a bet that a fictional character won’t judge you? What do I get if I win?”

            Elsa squeezed her hand gently and opened up the box set, grabbing the first DVD and putting it in the built-in Bluray player. “Wait and see.”

            After a few episodes, they both started to relax. Elsa leaned against the couch, a coy grin on her lips. “You’re gonna have a tough time topping this date.”

            “That mean I get a second?”

            “It’s definitely seeming like it.”

            Abandoning her fears, Anna leaned against Elsa, her head resting in the crook of the taller woman’s arm. “Want to watch more?”

            “You’ve got me marathoning my favorite show that I haven’t seen in at least a decade. It would take something pretty impressive to get me to stop.” Anna jumped when Elsa’s arm wrapped around her, resting on her belly. “Did I scare you?”

            She shook her head, nuzzling against Elsa’s chest as the next episode started. _Holy shit. This is so perfect._

            The show was definitely better than she recalled, or maybe it was simply that she was a lot more invested due to her new feelings for Elsa. Before it had seemed dry, dull, lacking in any sense of joy, and about as exciting as watching a particularly dull documentary. Now, at least through Elsa’s eyes, she could see the drama of it, the peeks and troughs of the trial, the plans they attempted, the passion the attorneys had, she could see why Elsa loved it so much, and why it had spoken to her. She’d been thirteen when the show had started, and already determined to be a lawyer. Anna had never been quite certain what had caused that, she’d have to ask when she had the chance. It had been a fixture throughout Elsa’s time in high school. Even ignoring her new appreciation for it, there was something comforting about watching a show that had been such a stable symbol of their adolescence.

            “That was a terrible question for cross. It was way too open,” Elsa muttered.

            _God she’s adorable._ “What do you mean?”

            “She’s just giving him too much leeway there, you only want them to be able to give the answer you need.”

            “I thought you couldn’t ask leading questions.” _Does that mean something else? I swear they just objected to that. Was I imagining it?_

            “That’s just for direct. Most of the cross here was good, and I understand wanting to give him enough rope to hang himself, but it wasn’t that at all, it was just a terrible question. She didn’t know what to expect, and she allowed him way too much freedom in his answer.”

            “So does that mean you’re a better lawyer than them?”

            Elsa’s eyes went wide as she turned down to Anna, looking almost in disbelief. They’d been her heroes for so long, imagining that she’d surpassed them must have been strange. “I guess I am.” A massive grin began to spread across her face, her teeth showing in mirthful glee. She’d made it. Her dreams had come true. “So, I guess that means Eugene can’t really be disappointed in me, can he?”

            “Huh?” _Oh, right, the bet. What did we bet?_

            Elsa hit the pause button. Cupping Anna’s chin, she tilted her head up, pulling her the scant few inches she needed to meet her lips. When they met, it was far more intense, more heated, than it had been the previous few times. Elsa gripped Anna’s back, pulling her closer. When she pulled away, Anna had to take a moment to catch her breath. “There, you won the bet.”

            Anna managed to avoid panting too hard. The kiss had had quite an effect on her, but she was certain that Elsa wasn’t ready for that. Not yet, anyway. Eventually, she collected herself enough to offer a retort, “Does that mean I’m succeeding in courting you?” _I said I wouldn’t call it that, didn’t I?_

            “It’s still weird.” Elsa sighed, moving a few inches away, more than enough to cause panic to start coursing through Anna’s veins. “You are a fantastic kisser though.” That only allowed her a modicum of relaxation; she was still convinced that Elsa was about to make a run for it, or at least call things off. “I don’t know exactly what I feel. I mean, I keep telling myself that normal sisters don’t react the way I did when you ran off – went to college.” _Thought we weren’t using that word._ “I don’t think it was quite romantic, but it was clearly something, and now, just being with you, seeing you and the way you look at me. You’re the only one who makes me feel like a good person, which only makes me more scared that I’m doing something wrong here –” she shook her head. “I’m talking in circles.”

            “It’s cute,” Anna offered, trying to hide the worry from her tone.

            “I’m not where you are yet, but I’m not where I thought I’d be either. Especially after tonight. I really like you, Anna, and you’re so much more beautiful than I ever allowed myself to see.” _That’s a good sign then._ Elsa bit her lip, staring at the boxes of half-eaten pizzas. “You might even be perfect for me.” _I definitely seem healthier than her old relationships._

“You really think so?” Anna sat up, allowing herself a small smile, but managing more of a simper. She was way too nervous. Even the first date with Moana hadn’t been this scary.

            Anna could swear that Elsa’s cheeks reddened, but it had to just be the lighting. It was so faint, but she could’ve sworn it was there. “I kind of do. It feels so crazy to say it, and I still have so many doubts, but I think I might be falling for you.”

            Beaming, Anna pulled Elsa back to her, clutching her tightly. “I’m so glad. I love you, Elsa. You don’t need to say it back, I know how loaded that word is right now, but you mean so much to me. I’m so glad that I’m not just crazy, that there really is something here.”  
            Leaning against her, Elsa nodded. “I am too.”

            Anna planted a soft kiss on her date’s temple. “Did you want to watch more?”

            She nodded. “Yeah. I think I kinda need a break from all the serious talking. Emotions are hard and I have no idea how you deal with them.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “You’re a teacher, Anna, you have to deal with a lot of people’s emotions. I just crush people, it’s a lot easier.”

            Anna giggled, running a finger through the platinum locks pressed against her cheek. “I’m not great at it. I had to have Esmeralda handle a student for me a few months ago because I couldn’t deal with her.”

            “You could’ve handled it, but I’m glad she was able to help.”

            “She actually became my best student after. I think Esmeralda may be a witch.”  
            Elsa glanced up at her. “What do you mean?”

            “Snow had just been a terrible student for a long time, even making fun of me for my divorce, and just always trying to cause a commotion. Then Esmeralda talked to her and I talked to Snow eventually, and she apologized and we made up, and she ended up as my TA and – well, she was already an annoyingly good student, but she became even better.”

            “Her name’s Snow?”

            With a light chuckle, Anna nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

            Elsa shook her head. “I really do want to know more about your life. I didn’t even realize you weren’t happy with your job, and I didn’t know about that student that was giving you so much trouble. What else have I missed?”

            “Let’s finish this episode, then we can have some scotch and catch up more.” _I can stomach scotch for her._

            “I love you.”

            “What?”

            This time Anna was sure Elsa blushed. “I didn’t mean like – nothing.” She clicked the play button and leaned back against her, clasping Anna’s hand and resting it in her lap. _Best first date ever._

            When the episode ended, Elsa snatched a bottle of Johnnie Walker Green from the cupboard and poured them each a glass. As she made her way back to the couch, Anna couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she was, and the way the baby blue silken dress clung to her hips as she walked. _Keep it in your pants, Anna. It can wait. You have forever. Hopefully._

“It’s a pretty easily palatable scotch for most people. It’s not my favorite, but it’s still great. I hope you like it.”

            Taking the cup in her hand, Anna watched it. She had not had great experiences with scotch. She wasn’t too big on whiskey in general. In addition to the fact that any time she was drunk enough to try it she woke up with a massive hangover, it just always tasted so strong. She preferred wine, or if she was really pressed for a straight liquor, then at least tequila was sweet. _I should’ve suggested chocolate liquer. I can guarantee Elsa has something like that stashed away somewhere, she’s a chocolate fiend._ Images of chocolate syrup and what she could do with it, as well as what Moana had done with it, most certainly did not flash through her mind, as she had determined to not think about sex and was without a doubt fulfilling that demand. “Bottoms up,” she offered helplessly.

            “Let it sit for a minute,” Elsa insisted.

            Anna watched her, without the show to distract her, she was having a hard time not thinking of all the things she wanted to do to Elsa. Her eyes were particularly drawn to Elsa’s lips, she hadn’t kissed them in at least twenty minutes and that seemed an absolute crime. She needed to feel their supple warmth against her own lips.

            “Something you want?” Elsa asked with a coquettish grin.

            She’d been found out. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.

            “Anna, we’ve kissed three times already, maybe four. I’m not against it. I –” she paused, her gaze falling down to their glasses of scotch. “I actually quite like it.” Apparently they had sat for long enough, as Elsa downed an impressive amount of her drink in a single gulp. “Damn, I forgot how good that is.”

            Anna decided to follow suit. It wasn’t bad. She didn’t hate it as much as she expected, but it was still strong and rough and not at all what she preferred in a drink. It definitely wasn’t chocolate. “It’s not bad,” she agreed.

            Elsa leaned back, biting into her lower lip as she studied Anna. “This still feels so crazy.”

            “I know what you mean,” Anna admitted. “It’s okay though, right?”  
            Elsa’s lips met hers for a fraction of a second. “It is.”

            Anna needed more than that, she hooked an arm around Elsa, pulling her flush against her, their lips melding. Unwilling to hold it back any longer, she upped the ante and parted her lips, Elsa did the same, and their tongues joined together. She could taste Elsa and Elsa could taste her. There was nothing wrong about it, it was perfect, wonderful, and pure. She managed to stop her hands at Elsa’s lower back. She could hold it together, no matter how amazing her ass looked in that dress.

            After several long seconds, Elsa pulled away, her lips shining with their mingling saliva, and met Anna’s eyes for a mere second before resting her head on her chest. “Tonight has really been amazing, Anna. This is, quite honestly, the best first date I’ve ever had.”

            “I aim to please.” She inhaled her sister – she inhaled her date, breathing in the wintermellon scent of the shampoo, the slight lavendar of her soap, and the sweet musk of Elsa herself, savoring the moment in its entirety.

            “I’m going to have a hard time beating it.”

            “So we are having a second date.”

            “I told you we were.” Elsa’s lips met Anna’s clavicle and all thoughts ceased for an instant. “God, I must be crazy, but I really like you, Anna. I don’t know how I never noticed just how wonderful you were before.”

            “I hid it well.” _I’m doing it. I’m snarking with Elsa._ It was all she could do to hold it together, but she not only knew that this was how Elsa interacted, but that being any more truthful would have been far too much for her.

            “I’m so glad you’re here.” Elsa sat up, raising her glass toward Anna. “To an amazing first date, and many more to come.”

            Toasting to that, even scotch tasted like chocolate. She didn’t need to make her way to Elsa’s bed. She’d had the most amazing night of her life. She didn’t have to fight anymore; she didn’t have to hide her feelings, Elsa was returning them – even if not to the same degree. She had what she wanted, she just wished she didn’t have to leave so soon. “Can I move in with you?” _I didn’t say that._ She stared at the empty glass, fighting back the desire to loudly and unequivocally blame the liquor for her insanity, but she could already see the wheels turning in Elsa’s head and she desperately wanted to know the answer.

            “Like as a couple?” Elsa asked, downing the rest of her drink. “I mean, it’s really early. I know you’re new to lesbianing, that’s not a word, and uhauling is sort of a thing, and we’ve known each other our whole lives, and you can’t really afford your place on your own, can you?”

            “I’m kind of managing,” Anna insisted.

            “What if we don’t work out?”

            “I’d still want to be in your life, if you’d be okay with that, and you have four bedrooms, and there’re great schools here. Olaf could have a better future, and maybe I could teach elementary school again.” It sounded so much less crazy than it should. It must’ve been the scotch. _I knew we should’ve had tequila. Scotch never ends well._

            “You’re right. I’m pretty sure I could get you a job, a local school district, though not the local one, is a client of my firm. You have a good resume, I could put a word in, and you’d almost certainly be hired.” She sat back in the couch, her mind visibly racing as she ran through the calculations. “It would be easier than a long distance relationship anyway, and I’m pretty sure that’s where this would be heading. I do like you. We could sell your house, it’d probably be an easy sell to Kristoff too, since New York is a lot better than Oregon for education, though we’re certainly no Massachusetts.” _Why does she know that?_ “Plus, I really don’t want to go back to living alone.”

            Anna clutched at Elsa’s hand, attempting to meet her eyes without falling into the beautiful ice blue seas that they were. “I don’t want to take advantage of that. I know you’re still just going through a breakup, you deserve some time to yourself instead of just shacking up with the next cute girl to walk by. I am cute, right?”

            “You’re very cute.”

            “Like in an attractive way, not a little sister way, right?”

            “Yes, Anna,” she groaned.

            Anna took in a breath, trying to steady herself. This was going so well, why did she have to ruin it with such a serious question. “Are you sure?”

            Elsa shrugged, her eyes drifting toward the ceiling. “How ‘kind of’ can you afford your mortgage?”

            Anna bared her teeth, it looked nothing like a smile. “It takes up almost all of my income, to the point that after utilities and phone and such, I have like a hundred dollars to last the rest of the month. But I’m okay. My friends pitch in some.” _God, I sound pathetic._

            “Move in with me.”

            Her eyes went wide, and she managed to meet Elsa’s gaze without growing distracted by how dreamy and beautiful Elsa’s eyes were. “Let me finish wooing you first. Then we can move in for real.”

            “Either way.” Elsa squeezed her hand, her thumb gently rubbing along Anna’s wrist. “I’m not saying this because I’m your big sister and I’m worried about you. I’m saying this because I want the woman I’m dating to not be struggling for money and to not be on the other side of the country. It’s a little too soon, but we need to start planning things. Summer vacation ends in a month and a half, right?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Well we need to find you work here, not that that’ll be an issue, and take care of the house. There’s a lot to do, and since you’re staying here in the meantime, it’s not like it changes anything else.” Elsa cleared her throat, nodding slightly, then met Anna’s gaze again. “Yeah, this is the right choice. I want you to live here.”

            “Elsa –”

            “I’m serious. I think we could end up really serious, after today, there’s not a doubt in my mind that I’m falling for you, and I’d rather my girlfriend not be homeless.”

            _Girlfriend?_ Anna wished her glass wasn’t empty. She needed a drink. “Okay. You’re right. Let’s do this.”

            “Perfect.” Elsa poured them each another glass. _Thank god._ “Well this will be exciting. To you moving in.”

            Anna clinked her glass against Elsa’s, but rather than taking another drink, she leaned in and met Elsa’s lips again. The kiss was briefer, but it was full of so much longing and gratitude. Her life was finally looking up again. She’d been so overwhelmed by everything – namely finances – that she hadn’t even been willing to face it, and Elsa had not only thrown her a life raft, but had called her her girlfriend. _I know it was theoretical, but I’m counting it._ When their lips finally separated, they finished their drinks. It was clear there was no turning back now. They might not be together yet, but it was no longer a question of if, only when. _Elsa is going to be my girlfriend!_


	49. Elsa - That's Certainly Girlfriend Behavior

            _Did I say Anna could move in with me?_ Elsa sat bolt upright in bed, causing the room to spin and a dull pain to split her head open. _Damn, I really thought it’d sound more unreasonable sober. It’s way too early, I still don’t understand what’s happening between us but it seems like it’s real and I really don’t want to rush things. However, it’s practical, it makes sense, it’d be a lot better for her financially. I own this place outright, no mortgage beats a mortgage you can barely afford._ She noticed a glass of water and some aspirin beside her bed. It hadn’t been there the night before.

            Appreciating Anna more by the second, Elsa popped a couple pills into her mouth and chugged the water. She felt worlds better from curing the dehydration alone. _So she’s already up?_

            Elsa crept downstairs to avoid waking Olaf and found Anna in the kitchen. A banana flew through the air at her, and Elsa barely caught it. “Eat,” Anna commanded, “you had a lot more than I did last night.” _Did I?_

            She did as she was told. The food stayed down with only minimal fighting. “Thank you.”

            “It’s no problem. If I’m going to be moving in with you, I ought to show that I’m worth having around.”

            “You always were.” Elsa sat down at the counter. She wanted to join her at the stove, maybe kiss her neck, show her appreciation, but it was still a bit much to get used to. The alcohol had helped a lot, she just needed to stop thinking of Anna as her baby sister. _She’s a grownup now, and maybe kind of my girlfriend. Fuck that sounds so weird. Though not as weird as I thought it would. Anna – my girlfriend. My girlfriend, Anna._ She shook her head. It was doable and nowhere near as terrifying as it should be, but she still wasn’t ready to use that label just yet. _Hopefully by the time she moves in._

            “Are Belle and Anya still coming over today?” she asked, setting a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Elsa. “She’d mentioned it when I dropped Olaf off and it kind of slipped my mind, but I hadn’t realized we had plans.”

            Elsa did her best to blink the sleep out of her eyes and brain as she stared at the eggs. Tossing pepper on them, she replied, “Yeah, we’d made the plan a month ago, back when we were first planning your trip, I said I wanted you to meet some of my friends, I think, might not have even mentioned them by name. Sorry, I’d completely forgotten about it.”

            “It’s okay.” Anna sat beside her, sliding the stool over until her shoulder brushed Elsa’s. “I don’t mind seeing them. It’s just –” she trailed off, staring at her food.

            _Us?_ “Is it okay if we just act like we’re only siblings? Anya has been really weird – well, always, and especially considering how much you look like her seemed to weird her out.”

            “Yeah, that’s totally fine.” Anna looked up at her, those perfect teal eyes showing only the slightest apprehension. “I mean, that’d be weird. And besides, we’re not like official yet, it’s not like you need to show me off to your friends or anything. Though Albert was cool with it. You know them better than I do, I trust your judgment, though I don’t think Belle would mind.”

            Elsa’s fork clattered against her plate. _She didn’t. There’s no way she would._ “Did you say something to her?”  
            Anna’s eyes widened, and she wiped a speck of food from the corner of her mouth. “No. Of course not. I don’t think so. Not really.”

            “Anna –”

            She shook her head. “I didn’t. I just said that you and I wanted some time to ourselves, that was it. Belle just told me that she hoped we had fun and to not let you drink me under the table.”

            “I feel like you drank me under the table.”

            “I just know my limits.” Anna smiled, her lips brushing Elsa’s cheek. “I’m not insane. She just sort of seemed like she thought it might have been a date, but I was probably just reading into it. She is sort of in love with you herself though, so I think she’d get it.”

            “She is not.”

            “Yeah she is.”

            Grinding her teeth, Elsa tilted her head in acknowledgment. “Okay, she kind of is. She’s with Anya though, who is both very much not in love with me and loves judging me for everything I do, so let’s try to behave tonight.”

            “I am always a perfect angel.”

            “Again, I raised you, you can’t lie to me like that, I know better.”

            Huffing, Anna spat back, “Fine, mom.”

            Elsa coughed so hard she thought she might die. She had to smack her chest to make the fit stop. _She made it weird again. What the hell am I doing? I practically raised her from the time I was eight, I gained custody of her when I was eighteen. How can I be dating her? Even more so, how can I be falling for her? What’s wrong with me._ She grit her teeth, managing not to throw her head back in an abject display of despair and self-loathing, it just wouldn’t look good in front of Anna. _How am I still okay with this? Why don’t I want to call things off?_ “Please don’t call me that.”

            “Elsa –”

            Holding up her hand, Elsa cut her off, “I like you, apparently in the same way you like me, but I’m having a lot of trouble dealing with it, and just please don’t make me face up to everything that makes it so weird. I know we’re going to have to pretend otherwise tonight, but can we just be two people who are dating and nothing else? At least in private.” She sighed, staring down at her eggs. Her appetite seemed to have vanished.

            “Okay.” Anna looked at her feet, and Elsa was convinced that she was holding back tears.

            “I’m not saying I don’t want this.” Clearing her throat, she grasped Anna’s hands. She held them close, resting on her knees. “I do. God help me, but I do want this, I want you.” _There must be something wrong with me._ “You’re wonderful, you make me feel so much better about myself, and you’re a fantastic kisser. Hell, I keep being surprised by just how beautiful you are, but it’s just all so new to me. You’ve had time to get used to the idea, I’ve had about a week. I’m getting there, just go easy on me.”

            Anna nodded, pulling Elsa’s hands to her lips and kissing each finger individually. “Okay. You’re right. I know it’s weird. Thank you for being willing to give us a chance, I can certainly do what I can to make things easier for you.”

            “That’s all I ask. Thank you, Anna.” Leaning in, she swept her arm behind Anna’s back, pulling her into a brief kiss. For the instant that their lips met, all of Elsa’s fears and doubts vanished. This was really doable, it was what she wanted. When she pulled away, they came back, but muted, less assertive, everything could be overcome. She turned back to her breakfast and took another bite. Her appetite seemed to have returned. Plus, it was helping with her hangover.

  

* * *

 

  

            Olaf ran past, toward the stairs, as Anya and Belle entered behind them. “He forgot his charger,” Belle explained.

            “That poor thing,” Anna teased. “It’s good to see you.”

            “We had to keep him entertained this whole time. I even got him to read a book.”

            “He likes books. Well, I normally read them to him.”

            “I had a few of my old kid books, so we went through a couple. It was fun. I’m happy to babysit him anytime you two need some time to yourselves.” Belle beamed at her. “Did you have fun?”

            Anna glanced back to Elsa. “Yeah, it was pretty great.”

            “Anya,” Elsa greeted her. “I hope he wasn’t too much trouble.”

            “Not at all.” She produced a bag that smelled of barbecue sauce and chicken. “I heard about you and Tiana, figured I ought to bring something. Didn’t want to doom you to figuring out the kitchen.”

            “I can cook,” Elsa insisted.

            “Sure. Her leftovers.”

            Elsa’s eyes narrowed. “I literally cooked for you dozens of times when we lived together. I appreciate the food, is that wings? I haven’t had any in ages and they smell amazing, but you don’t need to be an ass about it.”

            Anna glanced behind them, presumably to make sure Olaf wasn’t back yet to hear such language.

            “Of course I do. Kitchen, I assume? Don’t want to make a mess of your nice furniture.”

            Elsa had figured they’d just order delivery in a couple hours, but she wasn’t going to turn down wings. Everyone gathered around the table, Olaf running back downstairs. “Sorry. I had to plug it in.”

            “It’s okay, Olaf,” Anna replied. “Belle said you two had fun.”

            “We did. She has so many books. We hadn’t read most of them before, it was nice hearing something new.”

            Anna ruffled his hair. “You okay with wings?” She didn’t think he’d ever had them before.

            “We got him some plain boneless wings with some sauce on the side,” Anya explained.

            “I tried one there,” Olaf confirmed. “It was really good.”  
            _I’m glad Tiana got him to try some new things. I haven’t seen him that much, because I am the worst aunt, but it seems like he’s a lot more willing to try things now._ The wings were divvied up between the five of them, with Olaf having his tiny container all to himself. Anya always preferred spicier than she did. So, of course, they went out for them a lot and Elsa matched her because she refused to back down. She snatched one from a milder box, that was presumably for Anna and Belle. She didn’t have anything to prove to Anya anymore.

            Anya stared at her. “Can’t handle our old wings?”

            With a shrug, Elsa took a bite. “I’ll have a few, but these are good, there’s actually something to taste other than just pepper. It’s almost like there’s actually chicken under the sauce.”

            Sneering, Anastasia bit into the excessively spicy wing. “It tastes fine to me,” she said, ignoring the glass of water Belle had just brought her.

            “Thanks, Belle,” Elsa said, taking her own. “I’ve got some decent beer in the fridge, if you’d like.”

            “That sounds great,” Belle agreed. “I’ll grab one for everyone?”

            Rising from her seat, Elsa gestured toward Belle’s chair, “It’s my place. You don’t need to always take care of everyone. Let me grab ‘em.” The craft brew, with its stylized dragon label, was still in the fridge, and there was just enough to for everyone to have a bottle. She set them at the table and took her seat, finishing off the honey barbecue wing.

            “Thanks, h – Elsa,” Anna said with a quick apologetic smile.

            “So, you talked to Tiana?” Elsa asked. She didn’t feel like beating around the bush. Anya had already brought up  the breakup and she wanted to get it out of the way.

            Nodding, Anastasia set the bone down on her plate. “We are friends, you know.” She bared her teeth in something between a smirk and a snarl. _She’s seriously choosing sides here? She’s known me for a decade._ “We talked just after you split up. We met up for drinks, she was having a pretty rough time of it, Elsa.”

            Elsa grabbed a hot wing. _Maybe I should torture myself a little._ “I wasn’t trying to break up with her,” she said, her voice quiet, solemn, and full of guilt. “She’s the one that did it.”

            “You said you didn’t want to marry her.”

            “I didn’t exactly say that.” Elsa sighed. “It was complicated, Anya.”  
            “I’m sure it was.”

            Belle glared at her and snatched her own wing from Anya and Elsa’s styrofoam box. “Elsa just went through a breakup too. You don’t need to treat her like that. You know her, it’s not like she was trying to hurt Tiana. Even Tiana said that they still loved each other. She didn’t even really seem to blame Elsa that much at all. Stop trying to make her sound like the villain.” She bit into the wing, keeping eye contact with her partner the entire time. She didn’t shed a single tear.

            Anna was already on her third honey barbecue wing. She had wisely chosen to stay out of it.

            “Aunt Elsa was really sad,” Olaf said, drawing everyone’s attention. “I saw her after. She loved Aunt Tiana, she didn’t want that to happen. I still don’t really understand it, but I know my sensei didn’t do anything wrong.”

            Anya’s mouth opened and closed. She seemed at a loss for words. _I should give that kid an allowance or something._ Unfortunately, such blessings can never last. “We’d all love to understand it better. So, Elsa, what happened? There someone else?”

            “It was nothing like that.” _Not even a lie._ “We just finally accepted that we didn’t want the same thing. It was hard, and I hate how it happened, but it needed to.” _I hope that’s true. Even with all of our issues, thinking that it had to be this way is the only reason I’m doing as well as I am._ Anna squeezed her hand gently under the table, for only a brief moment. _Well, one of the only reasons._

“Of course,” Anya said, “Makes perfect sense.”

            “I’m sorry,” Belle said. _For Anya or for the breakup?_ “I know how important she was to you.“ She turned to Anna. _She doesn’t know, right?_ “Olaf said you just broke up with your partner too. I’m so sorry, what happened?”

            _Yeah, that doesn’t sound at all suspicious. We both broke up with our significant others in the same week._ Elsa took a long sip of her beer. _Of course it doesn’t sound suspicious, I’m being crazy. Why would they possibly think anything was going on between us?_

            “Yeah,” Anna answered, guilt clear on her face. She swallowed, searching for words. Her gaze fell on Olaf and the guilt only intensified. “We just weren’t working out. She was amazing, but it just couldn’t be, I didn’t feel the same way about her as she did about me.”

            “Aww, I’m sorry.” Belle clasped Anna’s hand in both of hers, smearing sauce on Anna’s knuckles. “I’m glad you two are there for each other.”

            Biting into her wing, Anya coughed and grabbed her beer. “Too hot?” Elsa asked.

            Rolling her eyes, she set the glass bottle back down on the table with a loud thunk and bit into the wing again. “I’m fine.”

            Elsa’s phone rang in the other room. “Give me a minute,” she said, excusing herself from the table. She made her way to the living room, and after a few moments of searching, found her phone between the armrest and a couch cushion. “Tiana?” she asked, answering the call. _Why is she calling? Why now?_

            “Hey, Elsa.” She sounded faint, distant, it seemed appropriate. “I’m sorry, I know this must be weird.”

            “Just a little.” Elsa sat down, the call had sent her spinning and she wasn’t sure that standing was the best option. “How’ve you been?”

            “I’m okay. Well, I’m getting there. That’s not why I’m calling.” She took in a shaky breath, and Elsa could finally hear the pain in her voice. It wasn’t just the connection. “I fucked up.”

            “What, are you trying to get back together with me?” _Would I want that? Fuck, I really don’t know. I really do think that we can’t work out. But then again, I seem weirdly okay with taking in Olaf, even if it’s not as his mom._

            “No, that’s not what I mean. I fucked up after. I thought I’d managed to fix it, but I just saw a text from this morning that really suggests otherwise. Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

            “What are you talking about?” Elsa couldn’t make any sense of this. “What did you mess up?”

            “I told Anya.”

            “Yeah, I know, she knows we broke up. It’s a little awkward, but isn’t it always with her.”

            “She’s already there, isn’t she?”

            Elsa glanced toward the kitchen. She couldn’t see her through the wall, but she was pretty certain that Anastasia was still there. “Yeah, why?”

            “Elsa, I told her about you and Anna!” _No._ “I didn’t mean to. I just said that I hoped you two were happy together. I thought I’d managed to explain my way out of it, otherwise I would’ve told you when it first happened. But she sent me a message saying that if I wasn’t going to tell her the truth, then she’d find out from the source.”

Elsa’s mouth went dry.           “Meaning me.”

            “Or Anna. Or hell, maybe Olaf.”

            _He doesn’t know. Was she asking him about this all day yesterday? He didn’t seem too uncomfortable, but he did run off right when he got home._ “Olaf doesn’t know. Anna’s a smart girl, she won’t say anything that could out us.”

            “I hope you’re right. God, I’m so sorry, Elsa. I never meant for this to happen.”

            “It’s not your fault.”

            With a dry chuckle, Tiana said, “Yeah, it is. I’m the one that did it and now you’re stuck cleaning up my mess. I’m so sorry. I hope she doesn’t go too far with this. If there’s anything I can do, just let me know. I love you, Elsa, even if we’re not together, I really do want you two to be happy, and I think Anna could be really good for you.” She sniffed. “Probably better than I ever was.”

            “Tiana –”

            “Go make sure Anya isn’t torturing your sister for information. Please. Just get going.”

            _Why did she have to call her that?_ “Okay. Thanks.” Elsa hung up and made her way back to the kitchen, listening for whatever the four of them may be talking about. _How do I handle this? Should I just try to ignore it unless Anya brings it up, or should I confront her? Will confronting her just make me look more guilty? Yes, of course it will. Okay, let’s bide our time._

            She sat down, managing not to return Anna’s smile. “I miss anything?” she asked, looking to Anna. _What was she saying while I was gone?_

            Anna shook her head. “No. Anya was just asking about Moana.”

            “Sorry.”

            “What’s wrong with a few questions?” Anya asked.

            Belle rolled her eyes. “She clearly doesn’t want to talk about it. It’s still fresh, you don’t need to pick at her wounds. God, what is with you today?” _Well, if Tiana hadn’t already relieved my fear that I was only being paranoid, that sure would’ve._

            “I’m just curious,” Anasasia insisted.

            “It’s okay,” Anna said.

            “Let’s just relax and enjoy our wings, all right? Look at Olaf, he’s barely even touching his food.”

            “I really liked Aunt Moana,” he muttered. _Okay, that’s it._

            “Olaf, buddy,” Elsa said, “Why don’t you go finish up in your room. The adults need to talk.”

            “Aunt Elsa?” He looked up at her, tears visible in his eyes.

            “Go on. It’s fine, just try not to get any crumbs in the bed.”

            He nodded and grabbed his box of boneless wings, as well as his juice box, that someone must’ve gotten him while Elsa was in the other room, and headed up to his room.

            Anya offered a playful smile. “What’s wrong? I’m just trying to make conversation.”

            “You’re really not,” Belle said. “Seriously, what is up with you today?”

            “I don’t know.” She looked between Elsa and Anna. “Why don’t you ask them. Is there anything I should be worried about?”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Anna said.

            “Of course not,” Anya agreed. “I’m just being crazy. There’s certainly nothing going on here that might be bad for that kid. Nothing that could scar him for life. No reason I shouldn’t trust both of you.”

            Belle rose, taking a few steps away from Anastasia, like she couldn’t even handle being near her, before she spun on her. “What the hell are you talking about? If anyone is traumatizing Olaf, it’s you. You just pestered his mother until he cried. What’s wrong with you? I mean, I knew you could be a bitch, but what the fuck happened?”

            She smiled at Elsa and Anna, that same knowing, shit-eating grin. “Did you want to tell her, or should I?”  
            Anna met Elsa’s eyes, she looked terrified. _She knew something bad could happen, but not this quickly. We haven’t even – it’s still weird even thinking of that. We haven’t done anything wrong, and I will not let her suffer._ “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elsa said. “In fact, get the fuck out of my house.”

            “I will,” she said, standing up. “As soon as you tell me the truth. God, I always knew there was something wrong with you, you just love hurting everyone around you. Well, now there’s a kid in your life, and you’ll be corrupting him too. Do you have no fucking shame?”

            “Get out.”

            “Elsa –” Anna said.

            “No, she can get the hell out of here,” Elsa repeated.

            “Anastasia, what the hell is wrong with you?” Belle asked again. “What do you even think they’ve done? Let alone that could be bad enough to even begin to justify this behavior.”

            “Whatever happened to you being her mom?” Anya asked. “Didn’t you practically raise her? Of course, you must’ve already been this sick and depraved then. She runs off to college and you find someone with almost the same name and who you could just squint and pretend was her. How long have you been grooming her for this? Is it just her?”

            Elsa clenched her teeth, taking a step toward Anastasia. She wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do, she’d never fought anyone before. If she did it, she’d be breaking the law, Anya was a guest and even if New York’s castle doctrine was good enough to get away with assaulting her, she would have to prove trespassing. _She has already been told to leave, repeatedly. She’s clearly not a welcome guest anymore._

“How’d you finally convince her? Or maybe you’d been doing it all along, and you’ve just started again. Is that why Tiana broke up with you? She was still trying to defend you even then. God, you make me sick. You fucking raised her!”

            Apparently, Elsa wouldn’t have to figure out how to punch someone. Belle slugged Anya in the jaw, hard enough that she fell down. “God fucking damn it, Anya.” She shook her hand, blood was already showing on her knuckles. “Just leave them the fuck alone.”

            “Wow,” Anna breathed. “Is she okay?”

            Anya climbed to her feet, clutching her swelling jaw. “I’m fine. You’re the one I’m worried about.”

            “We’re leaving.”

            “Belle, she’s fucking her little sister!”

            Belle turned to them. “If that’s true, good job, Anna. Little jealous, definitely winning out in terms of partners right now.”

            “What the hell is wrong with you?” Anya screamed. “How do you not see what’s wrong with this?”

            “They’re in their thirties and consenting adults. The only one with a problem here is you. Now come on, we’re leaving.”

            “Belle!”

            “Get out of here, right now, or we’re over.” _I don’t know how they’re still together as it is._ “You’ve known Elsa for years, you know full-well the kind of person she is.”

            “Yeah, a predatory monster who’d –”

            “Not one more word. We’re leaving. If you so much as say another negative thing about them for the rest of your life, I’m leaving you. It was shocking news, clearly, though you didn’t even bother to share it with me, so I understand why you’re freaking out. You haven’t done anything irreparable yet. Let’s keep it that way.”

            “But they –”

            Belle silenced her with a glare. She turned back to Elsa and Anna. “Congrats again. If I’m still invited back, I’d love to talk more, and I promise I won’t bring this idiot.” Grabbing Anya’s hand, she pulled her toward the door. “Out. Now.” With a quick little wave to the Agnarrsen sisters, she closed the door behind them.

            Elsa collapsed into the chair Anastasia had just vacated. “Holy fuck,” she breathed, the world blurring before her as tears finally fell.

            “I’m so sorry,” Anna said, wiping her eyes as she sat next to her, reaching for Elsa’s hand and pulling back twice before she finally grabbed it. “I understand if you don’t want this anymore. This is all my fault. I just cost you your friend, and who knows what else. I dragged you into all of this. I’ll tell her, I’ll take responsibility. I’ll go back home tomorrow if you want. I’m so sorry, Elsa.” Sobbing, she folded in on herself, putting her feet on the chair and leaning her head against her knees.

            “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Elsa managed, doing her best to stop herself from crying. “Anya was a shit friend, anyway.”

            “Elsa –”

            She pulled Anna to her, their lips meeting in a brief but fierce kiss before she let Anna’s head rest against her chest. “I’ve already made my decision. I want to be with you, Anna. This isn’t your fault, it’s Anastasia’s, because she’s awful.”

            Anna tried to pull back to protest, but Elsa held her in place.

            “I’m not hearing it. You’re not throwing this away just because my ex is a terrible person. We’ve both gone through enough breakups of late.”

            This time, Elsa didn’t stop her as Anna sat back up, meeting her eyes. “You’re sure?”

            “I’m sure, Anna.”

            A faint smile began to take hold. “That mean you want to be my girlfriend?”

            _Of course she pulls this. Well, I was just about to knock out my best friend for her, that’s certainly girlfriend behavior._ “Yeah. It does.”

            The hug was so tight that Elsa could barely breathe. “I love you so fucking much. Thank you. I promise I’ll never let anything else happen that could make you regret this.”

            “I love you too,” she said, running her fingers through her girlfriend’s tangled hair. _So that’s it. I guess we’re doing this. Now we just need to sort out everything else._ She planted a kiss on the top of Anna’s head. _We’ll have time. After all, she’s moving in._


	50. Anna - God, I Love Her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To celebrate my signing a contract with a publishing company, I’m putting this up a little early. Hope you all enjoy.

“Are you sure about this?” Anna asked, glancing down at their meager bags. It wasn’t quite how she’d expected her return flight. Elsa was coming with her. This trip had gone so much better than she could have possibly imagined, but she still just couldn’t quite wrap her head around all of it.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Elsa sighed, leaning back in her seat as they waited for the plane. Olaf fought some giant wolf on his Switch next to them. “I need a break from all of this and Portland sounds like a good escape. Besides, we need to sort out plenty before you two can move in. I didn’t want you to have to talk to Kristoff on your own.”

Anna squeezed Elsa’s hand, glancing nervously around the room. _Yes, because all of these people can tell that we’re an incestuous couple and not that I’m just talking to my sister. We are that unsubtle. I should just call her ‘sis’ and make out with her in front of the whole flight then I can stop worrying about what they’re thinking._

“Anna?”

She offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, lost in thought. Thank you. I don’t know if I could do this all without you.”

“It would be weird to move in with me without me.”

Anna’s eyes narrowed as she glared up at her sister. “You know what I mean!”

Any anger she’d managed to form immediately faded away as Elsa planted a chaste kiss on her cheek. “I know.” She sighed, rubbing her thumb on Anna’s knuckle. “Seems like only yesterday Tiana and I were heading to Portland,” Elsa said, gazing wistfully out the massive windows.

“Oh.” Anna bit her lip, following Elsa’s gaze and watching the next gate’s plane land. She’d be lying if she said that it didn’t remind her a bit of Moana. _Hell, she could be here._ “You miss her?”

Elsa shrugged. “It’s complicated. I guess I do, but I know that needed to happen.” Pinching the bridge of her nose, she turned away from the window, her soft blue eyes meeting Anna’s at last. “Sorry, I just meant that things have really changed. Wasn’t trying to start us back on that path. We can just ignore those wounds for a bit longer, I’m dealing with enough without having to process that breakup any more than I have.”

Glancing at Olaf to make sure he wasn’t paying too much attention, Anna nodded. “At least there’s been some pretty wonderful changes too, right?”

Anna could swear that Elsa’s eyes darted to her lips for half a second. _Maybe she does just want to make out in front of the flight. I wouldn’t mind._ “That’s what I meant, Anna. It’s been wonderful, and I’m looking forward to having you here all the time.”

“You mean it?”

“Of course, I do.” Her gaze grew sad and Anna felt a quiver of guilt run through her body. It wasn’t like Elsa hadn’t given her a lifetime of reasons to doubt her sincerity there, but she’d certainly shown otherwise the last year. _I know she cares. I know she wants this. Don’t I? I’m not still doubting her._

“I know you do. Sorry.” Anna toyed with the hem of her long checkered skirt, twirling it in her finger. Elsa had taken her shopping. _She finally spoiled me, and I’m still feeling so weird about it._ “It’s just a big change, like you were saying. There’s a lot to get used to.”

“You can say that again.” Elsa tucked a stray hair that had escaped from her bun back behind her ear.

Anna wished they had more privacy — that they could talk properly. The prior day’s shopping and planning had been amazing. Elsa had insisted that they go back early, while she was still on vacation, and wrap up all of Anna’s loose ends. _Hopefully, it’s that simple. She seemed so certain we could convince Kristoff._ “Giselle is going to lose her shit,” Anna mused, covering her mouth when she realized that Olaf was still right there.

“That’s a bad word, Mama.”

“Sorry, Olaf.”

“Can I say it then?”

“No.”

He pouted, his lower lip quivering, “But that’s not fair.”

“I shouldn’t have said it, so you shouldn’t either.”

“Can I say it if I lose this fight again?”

“No.”

Grumbling, he returned to his game. “Yes, Mama.”

Anna turned to find Elsa beaming at them. “I still can’t believe it. My little s – Anna is such a mom.”

“You’re kind of gonna have to get used to it eventually.”

“We have time.”

Finding herself grinning, Anna looked away, barely watching a group of people looking for their terminal. _I guess we do._

“Isn’t that Tiana Rose’s girlfriend?” a voice asked in a far too loud whisper.

“Is that the girl she left her for? She wasn’t one of the ones they showed in People.”

“Wasn’t she? I swear I saw a picture of them together.”

Elsa ground her teeth, her eyes shifting to the departure time on the nearby monitor – still half an hour away.

“I’m sorry,” Anna said.

A snicker sounded from the direction of those whispers, before the conversation continued quieter.

“It’s okay,” Elsa said. “It’ll go away before too long, I wasn’t the celebrity.”

“Definitely makes things a little more awkward though.”

She shrugged. “I’m gonna go to the restroom. I’ll be right back.”

Anna stared after her as she walked off, worried that she’d said the wrong thing. _Like our relationship doesn’t have enough complications. I just had to point that out. Great going, Anna._

“Shit” Olaf grumbled under his breath as he lost to the boss.

“Olaf.”

“You said it first.”

She sighed. He wasn’t wrong. “Don’t say it again.”

“Fine.”

Anna looked around, trying to discern who had been talking about them. No one seemed to be looking at her. _Am I going to end up in the tabloids as the incestuous home wrecker?_ She tried not to think about it. _We haven’t been doing anything in public, right? And no one would know we’re related._ She leaned back, screwing her eyes shut. She could swear she heard more whispering. _It’s so much more complicated than my day dreams made it seem._

“I did it!” Olaf beamed up at her.

The screen showed his party having leveled up. “Congrats. You were stuck there for a while, weren’t you.”

“Not that long,” he insisted. “I just had to change my party.”

“Well, I’m proud of you either way.” She ruffled his hair. Elsa still wasn’t back yet. _Hopefully, no one was giving her any trouble. I hope she’s okay. She already feels so bad about all of it. I know she wanted to be left alone, but she is taking a while._

Their plane landed and a few moments later, they called pre-boarding. Anna grabbed Olaf’s hand and began to make her way toward the line. She and Olaf had their tickets. _Elsa is coming back, right?_

A tap on the shoulder sent Anna spinning to find a slightly disheveled Elsa. Her eyes looked a little red, but Anna wasn’t quite sure. “Glad I paid for first class,” she said, avoiding indicating the gossips.

Not everything that Anna had to grow accustomed to was bad. It certainly seemed it, however, when Anna saw that she and Elsa wouldn’t actually be sitting next to each other. There were two seats to a row, and she needed to be with Olaf. Elsa was just across the aisle, it was hardly an issue, but it drove home Anna’s growing concern. _We’re always going to hide in public, aren’t we?_

The amenities of first class almost made it worth it. Anna had a few drinks, some snacks, and watched movies in her arm rest, while wishing she could be a bit closer to her partner. Olaf, for his part, was doing his best to find out exactly how much ice cream the plane had in their freezer. Rather than stop him, Anna decided to join in. It substantially improved the trip.

Once they’d landed, they grabbed their bags and ordered a cab. Only when they’d finally made it back home –  _Not for much longer though –_ was Anna able to relax. “Can I see Lilo today?” Olaf asked.

“I already said you could see her tomorrow. It’s late, just relax.”

“It’s not late. It’s only three.”

“Well, it feels like six.”

Elsa giggled. “Tomorrow will come soon enough. Aren’t you still playing your game?”

Sulking, he replied, “No, I finished it on the plane.”

“Well, you have your Playstation again, don’t you have anything for that?”

It was clear that an idea was forming in his head. _He always does this. I really wish I could say that he didn’t learn it from me._ “No.”

Elsa smirked. _And, of course, she knows how to deal with it. Never going to get used to dating the woman who raised me._ “Let me relax a bit and I’ll buy you a new game, but we have a lot to do while we’re here, so you better pick something that’ll keep you entertained for a while.”

“Really?” Blue eyes lit up as he beamed at his aunt.

“Really. Just give me an hour.”

Glancing at the clock, he nodded. Anna could see him silently counting down the seconds. _Well, at least that’ll keep him occupied._

He was still staring at the clock when they dragged their bags upstairs, pausing as they realized they’d both gone to Anna’s bedroom. Her cheeks colored. “You don’t think Olaf would be suspicious?”

Elsa paused, her teeth digging into her lower lip. It was clear that she wanted to reconsider, to just take the guest room again. “We could probably just tell him it’s a slumber party.”

“You think so?”

Shaking her head, Elsa sighed. “Maybe, but I’d rather not open that can of worms when we’re going to have to deal with Kristoff tomorrow.” _I wonder just what she was thinking – we still haven’t actually – we did cuddle all night last night. That’s probably it._ Her thoughts were interrupted by lips meeting her own, an arm resting on the small of her back. She’d never get tired of that. Elsa was the best kisser.

“I think you should just stay in my room,” Anna insisted when they finally separated.

“We’ll see. But I’m at least putting my bag in the guest room.”

Anna grumbled, trying to ignore the heat rushing down her body. Cuddling was now the last thing on her mind. _Maybe she should sleep there. I don’t want to rush things._

Waiting a few minutes to see if Elsa was coming back, Anna watched the doorway. When it finally seemed that Elsa wasn’t coming out, she walked the few feet over to the door and tried knocking. _I hope I didn’t scare her. I know how complicated this all is._

“Sorry, come in,” Elsa replied.

“Is everything okay, honey?” Anna asked, hesitantly, slowly swinging the door open.

Turning to her, Elsa patted the spot next to her on the bed, and wiped her eye. “I’m fine.”

“Elsa.” Anna rested a hand on her shoulder, wishing that she could make things easier. _If I just hadn’t been her sister._ She tried to ignore that she may well have never known her then.

“It just all sort of hit me again.” She ran her fingers through Anna’s hair, meeting her eyes. Her gaze seemed to radiate love, she was trying to convince Anna that they were okay, that she didn’t have to worry. _She’s still always looking after me._

“I know what you mean.”

“I know you do. You’ve been through just as much of late as I have. I just —” she wiped another tear away, “I wasn’t expecting any of this. I had my whole life planned out, and I hadn’t even considered – I’m dating my sister. I still can’t believe it.”

Ignoring how much that hurt, Anna replied, “I can’t believe it either.” Her meaning was quite different. “Because I thought it couldn’t happen. I thought you’d never feel the same way.”

“Anna –”

“I’m sorry that it’s so scary to you. I just want you to know that to me, it’s so worth it. I’ve worshipped you since we were kids, and it turned into love. I love you, I may have my whole life, and you’re worth every complication that that brings. You’re worth so much more than that. I hadn’t planned any of this through either.” She sighed, blinking away her own tears, trying to keep going, her eyes locked firmly on Elsa’s knee. “I didn’t think I had to.” _I should’ve thought things through. If I at least had a plan, then my kissing her wouldn’t have cost her quite as much._ “I’m sorry it’s already costing you friends.”

“It’s fine.”

“Then why did you want to get away?” Interlacing her fingers behind her head, Anna leaned back in the bed, staring at the stucco ceiling. “I know how much you’re giving up.” _Where am I even going with this? Am I trying to tell her that I’m ruining her life? What do I expect her to do about it? Am I trying to get her to leave me? If this is just an apology, then it’s the most roundabout one imaginable._ “You don’t regret it, right?” _I am trying to get her to leave me._

A hand cupped her cheek. She blinked away tears to find blue eyes staring into her own, more tears threatening to spill forth from them. Elsa cleared her throat, rubbing at one of her eyes, the other still meeting Anna’s. This was too important. “I love you, Anna. It’s worth it.”

“You don’t have to say it like that, Elsa. I know you don’t –”

“I do.” She swallowed, her eyes finally leaving Anna’s. “I think I do, at least. This is all still really –” her gaze fell back to her, her exhale was shaky, scared, but she said, “I feel happier with you than I have in a long time. Even with all the complications, even as strange as it feels sometimes, no one else has ever made me feel the way you always have. It’s new, but now that I’m seeing you this way, I do love you, Anna. You are worth it. I want to be here, I want to be with you.”

“Even though I have a kid?” she asked, trying to sound as playful as she could manage. She didn’t want Elsa to realize just how scared she’d been.

“Olaf’s pretty cool. And at least he’s not a baby.”   
_Not like she’s trying to be his new mom._ “You’re sure though?”

She took a moment to consider it, Anna held her breath the whole time, terrified that Elsa would reconsider. “I am. I want this, I want you two living with me, and I want you.”

Anna managed to avoid reading into that in any lascivious way, no matter how horny she still was from their makeout session earlier.

“Not tonight. I still need a little more time to get used to that idea, but I do want it, believe me, you have the same effect on me.”

“I wasn’t even thinking it!” _She just assumes!_

“Well, I was.”

Blushing, Anna bit her lip. _Glad to know I’m not alone then._ “Take all the time you need. I promise I can handle it.” _My being crazy from waiting only ever seems to make me obsess over Elsa anyway, so it’s not like it’d change anything now._

Elsa pressed a brief kiss against Anna’s lips, her fingers twining between Anna’s. “I’ll try to be worth the wait. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go buy your son a video game.”

“You still have time,” Anna insisted. “Want to at least cuddle for a while?”

“Ah, but if I get it now, we won’t have to stop cuddling.”

 _It’s tough to argue with that logic. I guess that’s why she’s the lawyer._ “All right, fine. But I’ll miss you and I expect you back in my arms as soon as possible.”

“I will be.” Her lips grazed Anna’s cheek as she pulled away, sliding off the bed. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Love you.”

Elsa grinned, those blue eyes falling back on Anna’s. “I love you too.”  


* * *

 

They arrived at Nani’s apartment at a quarter to noon. They were supposed to meet Kristoff for lunch. It seemed less awkward than going over to his place, no matter how much better things were between them. _I still broke his heart and am now trying to run across the country with his son. There’s a few reasons for things to be tense._

The door flew open and Nani dragged the three of them inside. “Go beat up Lilo, she’s already armed and waiting for you in her room.”

Olaf nodded, accepting the challenge. “I’ll save us all from her reign.”

“Lord, I wish. Go kick her butt.”

With a determined look on his face, his light blond brows knitted together as intimidatingly as they could be, Olaf marched toward the closed door to Lilo’s room. “Aye aye.”

“There, that’ll keep them busy,” she sat back in a chair by her coffee table. “Now you two better explain all of this.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Help yourself, by the way. The pot's over there.” She gestured toward it for Elsa’s sake.

Anna grabbed them each a cup of coffee while Elsa sat across from Nani. _This is only extremely awkward. I told Elsa she knows about us, right?_ “What would you like to know?” Elsa asked, her voice and smile as magnanimous as she could manage given the tension.

“Anna’s been pretty coy the last couple weeks.” She could feel Nani’s eyes on her as she added the sugar. “So I take it you two are actually –” she glanced back toward Lilo’s room, the door was closed and they were being fairly loud as they made laser gun sound effects, “together?”

 _Damn. I guess I have only been talking to Giselle. Nani is just so judgy!_ “We are,” Anna says.

Elsa nodded.

“Well, that’s a little disturbing.” She sipped at the coffee, glancing between the two of them. “And she’s really moving out there?”

“That’s the plan,” Elsa explained. “Even if this all wasn’t happening, I’d still suggest it. You know how much she’s struggling here.”

The cup clanked on the table a bit louder than was strictly necessary. “I know. I’ve been trying to help out.” She pursed her lips, staring into Anna’s eyes. “This isn’t exactly going to be easy on me, you know.”

Anna blinked, blowing on her drink as she tried to process that. It honestly hadn’t even occurred to her. _We’ve been coparenting for so long. Leaving her all alone like this with Lilo probably is pretty hard for her._ “I’m sorry.”

Sighing, Nani nodded. “I know it’s complicated, and while I still think this is –” she shook her head, waving her arms vaguely toward them, “I’m not even sure what to call it. But if Elsa really wants it –”

“I do.” _Wow. It’s weird to hear her so certain about this. God, I love her._

“Then I guess I just have to get used to it.” She glanced toward Lilo’s door again. There wasn’t a thud or anything concerning. Olaf wasn’t even crying from a new bite. “Lilo has been taking Olaf being away really badly. You know how inseparable the two of them are. They’re practically family.”

“Don’t say that, they’ll end up getting together,” Elsa replied. _Is that her way of trying to deal with this? I know how much us being siblings still bothers her. I’m still not allowed to call her my sister anymore. It slipped out the other day and I thought she was gonna have a full-blown panic attack._

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Nani glared at Anna. _Normally she’d be the one to make that joke. I’m going to try to pretend that I don’t know how similar they can be._

She offered an apologetic smile.

“Hell, maybe I should just try to transfer to New York. It’d certainly make things easier.”

“Why don’t you?” Anna asked.

Her eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t serious. My whole life is here.”

 _What life? Hell, the only other friend I’ve ever heard of is Moana and she lives in Ohio._ “You don’t have to, but it might be good for Lilo. And I know Olaf would be happy to have her there.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“What do you do again?” Elsa asked.

“Postal worker.”

Elsa stared up at the ceiling for a moment, running the numbers in her head. “I don’t really have too many contacts there, though I could see if I could pull some strings. There is a delivery service that I’ve represented a few times though, if you wanted something similar. Pay’s a lot better, from what I’ve heard.”

“I’ve already worked here for five years, I don’t want to start over.”

“That’s still, what, twenty-five years until retirement? And with lower pay, but hey, it’s up to you.”

Gritting her teeth, Nani ran her fingers through her hair. “I’ll think about it.”  
“Just let me know. I am Lilo’s sensei after all, can hardly just abandon her here.”

That finally drew a smile from Nani. Anna wondered if she was always this upset since her and Elsa’s kiss. She knew how much the idea bothered her. “Thanks.” She seemed to relax a bit, uncurling from herself as she sat there. “How much better pay are we talking?”  
“I think they said it was around seventy. I don’t know, it didn’t mean a lot to me, I just recall them mentioning how bad the USPS pays their workers.”

She nodded. _Then how does she manage? I assumed she made more than me._ “Maybe put a word in for me. I’m just on a month-to-month lease here at this point.”

“So you’d really come?” Anna asked, her coffee stained teeth bared in an eager smile. “That would be so amazing. Olaf would love it, and I have to admit, I’ve kind of missed you while I’ve been away, even as preoccupied as I’ve been.” She squeezed Elsa’s hand, her gaze falling on her.

Elsa squeezed back. “You’re welcome to stay with us for a couple weeks while you find a place if it goes through.”

“I’m not making any promises, but talk to them for me.”

Elsa still maintained her affable composure, but Anna could tell that that annoyed her. “If I’m asking them to give you a job, I need you to follow through. I can’t lose my credibility for nothing.”

Nani chewed on her lip, a finger tapping lightly on her mug. “The pay’s really that good?”

Elsa shrugged. “I haven’t worked for them. How about this? I’ll give you their info and you can look into it. If you decide to apply, let me know, and then I’ll put in a good word for you.”

“Okay.” She nodded, swallowing audibly. “You’re right. Yeah, that’s great. I’ll take a look at them.”

“I hope you decide to do it,” Anna said. “It really would be great.” _Though her staying with us for a few weeks could be weird. I know how uncomfortable she is with our relationship, though I guess we already have to pretend that we’re not together around Olaf, anyway._

“It does sound nice,” she agreed. “Just give me that place’s name and let me look into it. Don’t you two need to go meet Kristoff?”

Checking the time, Anna rose from her seat. “Yeah, we do. Great, we’re running late already. Thanks for looking after the kids!” _I really am Lilo’s other mom, aren’t I? Why didn’t I say ‘looking after Olaf?’_ She dragged Elsa from her chair. “We’ll be back soon.”

“Take your time. Do you want travel mugs for the coffee?”  
Elsa drained the rest of her cup. “We’re good.” She grabbed a piece of paper from the pad on the fridge and scribbled something down. “Here’s the name of the company. Let me know what you think.”

The restaurant wasn’t too far away, but it was already 12:15, and they’d said they’d be there at noon. He hadn’t messaged or called, so he presumably wasn’t too worried yet, but Anna messaged him that they were on their way.

They pulled into the parking lot of the little burger joint at 12:25, with Anna feeling awful about just how long she’d made him wait. _How am I still so neglectful to him now that we’re divorced? That shouldn’t even be a thing._ “Hey, sorry we’re late.”

Kristoff rolled his eyes, an almost empty tray of seasoned fries in front of him. “It’s fine. Did you want something to eat? All I’ve had is fries so far.”

“I’ll get it,” Elsa said. “You two talk, what do you want?”

“You sure?” Kristoff asked, his hand still halfway to his wallet.

“My treat.”

“I’ll just have a sasquatch burger.”

“Anna?” She turned to her.

“Some more of these fries,” she offered, eating one of Kristoff’s. _These are too good._ “And I’ll try a burger with swiss.”

She left them alone and made her way over to the counter. Kristoff and Anna stared down into the almost empty basket of fries. “So what did you want to talk about?” he asked after a long moment. He seemed nervous. _He probably thinks I’m trying to take Olaf from him. Oh, wait, I am, it’s almost like I keep giving him good reasons to hate me._

Struggling to face him, Anna settled on staring at his chin. _Just say it. Get it out of the way. Let him be pissed if he needs to be._ “I want to move to New York.”

His face fell. “Oh.”

“I don’t want to take Olaf from you. I just need to do this. I can’t afford our house on my own, and Elsa is willing to help me out. It’ll be better for him too, she cares about him and can basically ensure that he never wants for anything, and the schools are better there,” _even if they’re still not the best,_ “And Elsa is pretty sure she can get me a job at an elementary school. You know how much happier I was when I taught kids.”

He nodded. “You seemed to be a lot happier with a lot of things back then.”

“Kristoff –”

“I know. What do you want me to say, Anna?” She finally met his eyes and saw the tears in them. “He’s my son. I don’t want him on the other side of the country.”

“You’d still see him, he’d visit every break, you’d have him all summer. Also, I meant to open with this part, but I wanted to give you the house back.”

He blinked. “You what?”

“It was always your place, I know how much you loved it, and the yard is perfect for Sven. I’ll sign whatever I need to, I don’t want to sell it, it was our home and I want Olaf to be able to still be there. It’s always gonna be his home.”  
The tears finally fell as Kristoff averted his gaze, staring out the window at the rainy sidewalk. “Thanks.”

“It’s not a bribe or anything. Even if you’re not willing to let me take Olaf to New York, I still want you to have the house.”

“Anna –” he turned back, rubbing at his eyes with his massive hands. “Do you really think this is better for him?”

 _This isn’t just for me. It’s not just because I want to be with Elsa. Right?_ “I do.”

“And you really want to go there? You sure you want to move back in with your sister?” He glanced in Elsa’s direction, a goofy expression on his face that Anna would call a smile if he didn’t still look so pained.

“I’m sure. We’re close again, and getting along better than we ever did. Plus, Olaf worships her. Like it’s ridiculous, I don’t know how she does it.”

The smile grew more genuine. “That’s good to hear.”

“They’re adorable together. You should see them lightsaber fighting.”

“That traitor,” he joked. “Star Trek is life.”

Anna grinned, meeting the soft brown eyes of the man she’d once loved. “Can we please do this? You got Olaf that cell phone, and he’ll call you all the time. He’ll visit you a bunch.”

“Your girlfriend able to get him free flights?”

Anna’s eyes widened. _What? Oh. He means Moana._ “We broke up.”

“Oh.” Several expressions battled on his face, most of them sympathetic. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“Is that why you want this new start?”

She shook her head. “No. Moana lives in Ohio anyway, it wouldn’t affect much.”

He took in a breath, meeting Elsa’s eyes as she returned to the table with their food. “Okay. Yeah, you can move. I won’t fight it. I just want what’s best for Olaf, and it sounds like this could be it. I better get to see him a bunch still.”

“You will,” Elsa insisted. “I’ll pay to fly him out every weekend if we need to.”

A pained smile pulled at his cheeks. “Don’t say that or I’ll actually take you up on it.”

“How about once a month and every school break and holiday?” Anna suggested.

Pulling his burger to him, Kristoff nodding, smiling down at the food. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

“We can manage that,” Elsa replied.

“I’ll pay for it, it’s fine.”

“We can split it.”

“Maybe you’re right,” he said to Anna, some ketchup on his lips, “it sounds like Elsa really is good for him. Maybe this is the best choice.”

“Thank you,” Anna said.

“Any chance I could see him tonight?” he asked hopefully.

“Of course. He’s with Lilo right now, I’ll take him over this evening.”

“They can both come if Nani wants. I don’t want to separate him from his best friend.”

Anna beamed at him. “She’d love that. Thank you.”

“It’s no problem at all.” The three dug into their burgers, the atmosphere lightening up. Anna could scarcely believe how well that had gone. It looked like her life was really starting to work out. She just hoped that Elsa was feeling at least half as good. She knew how much Anya had hurt her the other day. She’d do whatever she had to do to make things work out for her.


	51. Elsa - What I Want

            Elsa jerked awake, finding herself in a strange bedroom. The arm draped around her and the familiar scent of Anna was the first thing she noticed. _Right. This is her room. That’s still so weird._ Olaf had spent the night at Kristoff’s, so she didn’t have to worry about being seen with Anna, but she still just couldn’t sleep that late. It was honestly surprising that she’d even managed to sleep until sunrise, since she was still on East coast time.

            She kissed Anna’s cheek and pried herself free, doing her best to avoid waking her. She seemed to succeed. _It’s good to see she’s still a sound sleeper._ As she reached the door, she turned back to see her partner, hair a curly mess, snoring softly, with the sheet barely covering her. Her feelings were still a complicated whirlwind, it still felt wrong, but that part was growing ever smaller as they grew closer. _This really is what I want._

            With a heavy sigh, she opened the door, and walked into the hall. Tiana had beaten some good habits into her, even if she had fought the whole way, so she decided to go for a jog. It had been a while and she could use it. The fresh air would certainly be good for her.

            She changed into some clothes she’d brought for lying around the house and went outside. At six AM, the weather was decent, a light mist covered everything, but it seemed to be in the low seventies. She played some music on her phone and went around the block, trying to get a hang for Anna’s soon to be former neighborhood. Even with GPS, getting lost on a jog would just be annoying.

            She tried to just let her mind go blank. She’d been thinking almost nonstop of late and letting herself breathe and just enjoy her run seemed like exactly what she needed, but, of course, things never go as planned.

            As ever, her mind began to drift to Anna. _I told her I love her yesterday. I still can’t believe it._ Finishing her first trip round the block, Elsa decided to add to it. She’d just keep it to a square the best she could. The layout was inconsistent, but it was still doable.

            _I’m really in love with my sister. I didn’t groom her; I know Anya’s wrong, I wasn’t trying for this at all. I don’t think I even had feelings for her before, although the evidence seems stacked against me there. Why can’t I stop thinking about that? Anastasia is just a bitch. She always sees the worst in me, it doesn’t mean I’m doing anything wrong. I’m not hurting her._

            Some sappy song came on, and it was definitely not helping with her introspective state. She skipped to whatever next song the program decided she needed to hear, and was relieved to find something that wasn’t romantic or heart wrenching at all. ‘Go Your Own Way’ seemed oddly appropriate, but at least it wasn’t directly about anything she was dealing with.

            As she ran, making a turn about eight blocks from Anna’s house, Anya’s words still haunted her. She’d been trying so hard to keep her cool, to not let Anna know just how much it had gotten to her. It was still obvious she knew, especially since they ran off to the other side of the country a few days later, but she could at least pretend that it was working. _Was I trying for this all along?_

            She tried to convince herself that even if it was true, it wouldn’t matter. Anna was the one that had insisted on it, after over a decade of barely seeing her. She wanted her. _I didn’t force this; I didn’t even know I’d wanted it. It wasn’t some subconscious thing; I don’t care how good I am at manipulating people, no one can pull off a con over thirty years without meaning to._

            Feet pounding against the pavement, she picked up speed, letting her muscles burn, trying to push away her doubts. _I love her. She loves me. That just needs to be enough._ Finally, the burn started to drag her away from herself. She focused on her breathing, on the feeling in her body, the runner’s high starting to kick in as she finished her first mile. She let the run be her whole world. Everything else could wait until she was done.

            The songs avoided anything else too on the nose, instead just urging her on as she ran, letting her put a few more miles on these shoes. She was beginning to regret having not brought her actual running shoes. Blisters seemed pretty likely with the beating she was giving herself, but she needed it, not for penance, but for recovery.

            After a little over three miles, panting and exhausted, the t-shirt clinging to her, she headed back inside. The house was quiet; Anna was still asleep. She drained a couple glasses of water and threw off the damp shirt, making her way to the bathroom. She needed a shower. When that was finally done, then maybe she could actually feel human again.

            Clean, refreshed, and still a bit exhausted, she collapsed back into Anna’s bed, with the towel still wrapped about her. She looked so beautiful sleeping there. _I don’t know how I never saw it before. She was always just my bratty little sister – nope, not using that word._ Leaning her head against Anna’s chest, she could hear her heart beating, its rhythm relaxing and comforting her. “I love you,” she whispered. It felt good to say, there was still a lot attached to it, but she was seeing more and more just how true it was.

            Anna murmured and rolled over, leaving Elsa lying on just the sheet. _Just hold still!_ Anna was now completely rid of the sheet, with only a baggy t-shirt covering her, pulled up to reveal – Elsa looked away, biting into her lip. That was still just too much for her.

            Her gaze fell back to the freckled skin, settling on her pale thigh. She dared not look any higher, but she was far more disturbed by how much she appreciated the view than she was actually disturbed by the sight itself. _She’s still my – that word. How can I –_  she shook her head, not even noticing that her hand had fallen to the object of her desire.

            She was surprised by how firm Anna’s thigh was; she didn’t ever seem to bother with exercising, it didn’t seem possible. Her hand slid up the barest bit. She wasn’t sure what she was even thinking, this was absurd. She loved her, and it’d happen eventually, but she wasn’t ready for it. Her hand was already moving away when Anna stirred. “Elsa?” she asked.

            “Sorry, go back to sleep. Didn’t mean to wake you.”

            Turning to face her, Anna wiggled closer, pressing herself against Elsa. “What was that?”

            Her cheeks burning, Elsa managed a light giggle. “Nothing. I don’t know.”

            Anna’s lascivious grin made it quite clear that she’d felt Elsa’s hand on her. “Do you think you’re up for it?”

            Elsa’s eyes traveled over her partner’s body, appreciating the curves and the effortless sensuality that Anna was emanating. _When the hell did she learn to do that? Last I recall she was the awkward, bumbling one here._ “I’m not. I just –” She could still scarcely believe how distracting Anna’s body was. It wasn’t fair. “You look amazing.”

            “Do I now?” Her smile grew less playful, more bashful, her own cheeks coloring. “You look pretty damn sexy in that towel.”

            Tugging the sheet toward her, Elsa covered herself the best she could. This was just absurd. She couldn’t have sex with Anna, it was taking things too far. _What am I doing?_

            “Elsa,” Anna whined. “Let me see.”

            The sheet stopped halfway up her belly, the towel still covering her chest. “No, Anna.”

            “Okay.” She looked disappointed. _I did wake her up by feeling her up, I suppose she has a bit of a reason to be upset when I decide I’m not in the mood after that._

Elsa threw the sheet back off of her. “I’m keeping the towel on though.”

            Anna didn’t seem to mind as her eyes explored Elsa’s body. “God, you’re beautiful.”

            She chuckled. It wasn’t that she didn’t think she was attractive; she’d been made painfully aware of that her whole life, she’d just never expected to hear it from Anna, at least not in that tone. “You are too.”

            A lopsided smirk on her face, Anna met her eyes, an idea clear behind those teal orbs. “I’m fine with letting you see more.”

            Elsa swallowed. _I can’t. Can I? What do I want here? I clearly appreciated the sight, but I know I’m not ready for this. Maybe I’d be okay if we just stopped at looking? It still feels like we’re rushing into everything. I know we’ve known each other for thirty-one years, so we certainly have an excuse, and it’s not like I waited this long with Tiana or Mulan, but I want to be cautious here. We can’t risk messing things up._ “Anna –” her mouth opened and closed. She couldn’t actually bring herself to say no, but she couldn’t say yes either.

            Anna hooked a finger under the hem of the shirt, lifting it up. “All right, well I need to take a shower, so I’m going to take my shirt off, and if you want me to do it in the bathroom, then you can tell me.”

            _That’s not fair._ Elsa still found herself frozen, unable to offer any sort of response as her eyes seemed glued to Anna’s slowly unveiling form. She was wearing a cute pink pair of panties under the grey t-shirt, and her barely rounded belly was already beginning to show. She seemed to be making it as agonizingly slow as possible. _It’s only agonizing because I want to see._

            The shirt slid up, and Elsa found herself still incapable of looking away. Anna was jaw-droppingly gorgeous. She wasn’t as toned as Tiana had been, not that Elsa meant to make the comparison, but she was perfect. She’d never realized just how far those freckles went.

            The shirt fell to the floor beside the bed as Anna lay there, her body bare to the world save for the boy shorts.  With no conscious thought, Elsa found her hand on the small of Anna’s back, pulling her close, until they were pressed together, their lips meeting.

            Seeming to take this as encouragement, Anna propped herself up, straddling Elsa and giving her another eyeful. “I really do need to shower.”

            Nodding, Elsa said, “Yeah, I know. Just give me another minute.”

            Her smile growing ever wider, Anna giggled. “Sure you’re not –”

            “I’m sure,” Elsa insisted. “This is so much more than I was ready for. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but I’m not up for anything more than this yet.”

            “Okay.” Anna leaned forward and left another kiss on Elsa’s lips before sliding off of her. “I love you.”

            “I love you too.”  
            A toothy grin on her face, Anna looked like she was trying not to skip. “You don’t just think you do?”

            _She just can’t leave well enough alone, can she?_ “I meant what I said.”

            “Good. I assume you don’t want to join me in the shower?”

            “I just showered.”

            Her eyebrow raised. “Not quite why I asked.”

            “I’m aware. I don’t want to join you right now.”

            “That’s a shame. Any chance you’d be up for grabbing us some breakfast? There’s not much in the fridge right now.”

            “Sure. You go shower. Want anything in particular?”  
            “Surprise me.”

            Elsa rose from the bed, giving Anna a quick kiss. Her clothes were still in the other room, so she left Anna to her own devices, letting the towel fall as she walked away. Anna had tormented her enough for one morning, she owed her payback.

 

 

 

 

            That evening, they made their way over to Giselle’s. _It will be weird not having Tiana flirting with her the whole time._ “Hopefully Olaf and Lilo are having fun with Kristoff,” Elsa offered as Anna drove.

            “I’m sure they are. Though Lilo may have already eaten Sven.”

            “He can eat her in self-defense. I believe in him.”

            “Elsa, that’s your padawan!” Anna insisted, a playful grin on her face. _She’s been in such a good mood since this morning. Not that I’m complaining. Glad to know my ass has that effect._

            “And I taught her better than to eat her best friend’s dog.”

            Giggling, Anna pulled into the driveway. “Well then, maybe she needs a refresher ‘cause she’s tried to eat him since then.”

            “One bite hardly counts as eating.”

            Anna rolled her eyes as she climbed out of the car. “I’d say it still counts. Sven certainly seemed to think so.”

            As Elsa walked around the car, she found Anna reaching for her hand. “Anna –”  she began. _What am I even objecting to?_ Her anxiety building, Elsa took the proffered hand. This wasn’t a terrible idea at all.

            “They already know, and no one else would suspect anything.”

            “Right.”

            “Elsa.” A quick tug on Elsa’s arm turned her to face Anna. “You don’t need to worry. Giselle and Jack accept us, Esmeralda too if she’s here. I don’t think she’s moved in or anything, but I know she’s supposed to be here later. Sorry, not the point. Anyone else looking will just know that we’re a normal happy couple, I promise.”

            Silenced by the knot in her throat, Elsa nodded, trying to force it down. She could manage. She wanted to do this. Anna was her girlfriend, and she had to hide that often enough, she wasn’t going to just pretend it wasn’t the case when she didn’t have to. Her fingers interlaced with Anna’s as they took the last few steps to the door. Letting out a shaky breath, she gave a hesitant knock. _Just calm down._

            The door flew open, Giselle bouncing out, beaming broadly at the two of them. “You’re here! You’re early, come in! It’s so good to see you, Anna.” She squeezed Anna tightly enough she squeaked, before turning to Elsa, meeting her with a look that Elsa could swear seemed lascivious. _We are just getting food, right? Anna didn’t drag me into an orgy or anything? Jesus, and I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about that after Tiana and I split up._ “It’s great to see you again, Elsa. I’m so happy for you, you look amazing, by the way. Love the dress, it really brings out your eyes.”

            Portland summer seemed the only opportunity she’d ever have to break out her old baby blue sundress from college. She had not quite planned on it matching Anna’s skirt, but she’d live with it. “Thank you. It’s great to see you too. I love that top.”

            It was garish, poofy, and almost painfully bright, but it somehow worked on the redhead. “I’m glad you like it.” Elsa was reasonably certain that that look was intended to mean ‘Just wait til you see me without it.’ _Didn’t Anna say she was straight?_ Leading the way inside, Giselle asked, “Did you want anything to drink?”  
            “I could go for some wine,” Anna said. Whispering into Elsa’s ear she added, “You’re her girl crush, in case that wasn’t obvious.”

            “That explains a few things,” she whispered back, taking a seat on the worn-in couch, Anna sitting next to her. “Wine sounds good for me too,” she added audibly.

            There was already a bottle on the coffee table. It was the same bottle of ros _é_ that Anna had been looking for in the grocery store the other day in New York. She’d seemed so disappointed that it wasn’t available out there. Giselle poured them each a glass, and Elsa had to admit that it might be worth ordering some online. “This is delicious. I’m normally a red or scotch kinda girl, but I could definitely drink this.”

            “It’s my favorite,” Anna agreed.

            “I had to grab some for her,” Giselle explained. “I knew she’d been missing it over there.”

            “You love it too.”

            “It’s not bad.” She sipped at her own glass. “Though you’re more fun with some tequila in you.”

            “I am plenty fun just as I am.” She squeezed Elsa’s hand again, pulling it into her lap.

            Giselle’s eyes locked on their hands. “Oh, I’m sure you are. Elsa must enjoy you so much.”

            This was all too much. Elsa pulled her hand back, causing a confused frown on her partner’s face. “She’s a lot of fun,” Elsa said, her voice flat. _Why is she making this so weird?_

            “You don’t need to worry around me. I promise, I’m cool with it. I love that you two are together. I’ve been rooting for it this whole time. You’re a beautiful couple.”

            “She’s still getting used to it,” Anna said, patting Elsa’s leg. “You and I had a lot more time.”

            “I was cool with it immediately.”

            “Can we just not make a big deal of it?” Elsa insisted. She crossed one leg over the other, nervously glancing around the room. “I’m finally getting to where I’m okay with our relationship, but can’t it just be treated as a normal thing? We’re a couple, that’s all.”

            With a hesitant nod, Giselle replied, “Yeah, of course. It’s great. I’m just happy for you, we don’t need to say anything more of it.”

            Anna looked like she wanted to say more on the topic. Elsa knew how excited she was, she wanted her to be able to share it with her friends, but she was so tired of being on display for the world. There was enough of that with Tiana, she had hated being a tabloid sensation, being treated as some fetishistic freak show was so much worse. “Sorry,” she muttered.

            Anna managed a warm smile. “It’s okay, honey, whatever you need.”

            “Dinner’s almost ready,” Jack called, walking in to join them. His hair seemed shorter than the last time Elsa had seen him, though he was as pale and gaunt as ever. “Hello, Elsa, Anna, it’s been too long. I trust you’re both doing well?”

            Anna rose from the couch to give the tall man a hug. “I’d say we’re great. It’s been a pretty great month.”

            “I’m so pleased to hear that.”

            “Oh, that roast smells amazing.”

            He beamed at her before finally turning to Elsa. “Congratulations, by the way, Giselle told me, I hope that’s all right.”

            She nodded. _At least he’s not being a creep about it. That’s really saying something for a guy, I heard so much shit just being out with Tiana._ “Thank you.”

            “Is Esmeralda still coming over?” Anna asked.

            “Yeah, she should be on her way,” Giselle said. “I know she’s excited to see you.”

            “I’m excited to see her too.” Anna grinned, her teeth showing. _Am I jealous? That’s weird._ “How’ve you been dealing with her and Jack being together?”

            “What?” Elsa asked. “How does that work?”

            “Aww, you poor thing.” Giselle giggled. “Did Anna not tell you anything?”

            Elsa glanced between the four of them. Anna hadn’t told her much. “What else was she supposed to tell me?”

            An awkward, apologetic smile on her face, Anna shrugged. “Sorry. You were kind of busy freaking out about other stuff when I found out. Never really had the chance.”

            _I have been freaking out a lot of late. I miss being cold and collected._ “It’s okay. They’re your friends, I barely know them, hell I don’t know Esmeralda – though I’m looking forward to meeting her.” _Seriously, how am I jealous? I was so happy for Anna exploring her sexuality with her, I know for a fact that there were no weird feelings then._ “I know how important she is to you. I guess I did know she was poly too.” _I’d understand if I was upset for her having hurt Anna, but I don’t get this. I rarely even got jealous with Tiana flirting._ “So, congratulations, Jack. I suppose I’d have to echo Anna’s sentiments though, I certainly couldn’t imagine.”

            With a playful shrug, Giselle beamed at her boyfriend. “Honestly, I’m just sad that I couldn’t join in. I tried, but no matter how hot Esmeralda is, I’m just not into women. I’m thrilled for them, though, and I’m glad that my boy has someone else to play with when I’m busy.”

            Falling back into the couch, Anna gave a meek smile to Elsa. “Forgot to mention that other part. She’s the kinky friend I mentioned.”

            _Oh. That’s what she meant by ‘my boy.’ What am I even doing here? I have the worst luck with dinner parties._ “Oh.” Elsa studied the strange woman before her. She now noticed the almost reverential way that Jack always approached her, talked to her, and that collar she’d ignored the previous visit. _That explains a lot more._

            “I thought she’d warned you.”

            “It’s fine. I’m certainly not one to judge at this point.” Elsa cleared her throat, draining the rest of her wine. The rest of the bottle was already looking far too appetizing. _Hey, at least Anya isn’t here. Can’t be that bad._

            Just then, the front door opened. For the merest iota of a second, Elsa worried that it may actually be Anastasia joining them for some strange reason. _Hell, maybe her and Belle are dating them too. Things could hardly grow any stranger._ Her fears were unfounded, of course. A darker skinned woman, with green eyes and pitch black hair bounced into the room, closing the door behind her as she bounded over to Jack. “Hey there, honey.” Their kiss quickly ended, with her pulling back to meet Anna’s eyes. “Glad to see you’re still doing well. Been having fun with your sister?”

            Elsa’s jaw dropped. _What did she see in this woman?_

            In her place, Anna only blushed. _That is not an appropriate reaction._ “Yeah, we’ve definitely been having a lot of fun.”

            Esmeralda’s gaze drifted over Elsa. “Really? You must tell me everything.” With a quick peck on Anna’s cheek, she leapt over to face Elsa, extending her hand. “So, you must be her then. I’m Esmeralda, I’m so happy to finally meet you. I’ve heard amazing things, and you definitely seem to live up to them so far.”

            Rising to her feet, Elsa couldn’t help but skeptically study this crazy person. _What did Anna see in her?_ “Thanks, I think?” Hesitantly, she took Esmeralda’s hand.

            “Oh, it’s absolutely a compliment. I’m very protective of our girl here. She’d said a lot of wonderful things about you, but I had to see for myself. I’ve already got a great feeling about you. Anna’s lucky to have you, and you’re lucky to have her. She’s an amazing woman.” Yanking on Elsa’s hand, she pulled her into a hug. “I’m so happy for you.”

            Elsa patted at her back. She was a bit disarmed by all that, and feeling somewhat foolish for how she’d been acting. _No matter how weird they are, they’re her best friends, and they really do seem to care about her. I know how much they looked after her in my absence._ “Well, I’m happy for you and your new relationship.” _I can just be nice. I know how much they mean to Anna, and I’ve already been being a bitch for no reason._ “And I know how important you are to Anna, so I’m happy to meet you.”

            “Oh, she told you all that?” As she pulled away, Elsa could swear that she looked chagrined. She’d seemed to shameless until then. “I didn’t handle a lot of things with her that well. I’m not great at relationships, as I’m sure Jack will tell you.”

            “She is an absolute delight and is far too hard on herself.”

            “You’re not helping.” She glared at him, turning back to Elsa with an affectionate smile. “Promise me you’ll take good care of her?”

            “I will.”  
            “Great!” She pounced on Jack, looping her arm around his. “Dinner smells amazing. I don’t think you’ve made this for me before. Is it almost ready?”  
            “It should only be a few more minutes. Would you like to help me set the table?” He led her toward the kitchen.

            “I’d love to.”

            Anna took her seat again, leaning against Elsa. “I’m sorry this is all so crazy for you.”

            “It’s okay.” She ran her fingers through the loose red hair. She always loved seeing her wear it down, though it brought up very different feelings in her than it once had. “Just warn me next time, all right?”

            “I’m not sure what next time would be, but I’ll try.” Her lips met Elsa’s for an instant. When she pulled away, she was beaming at her.

            “I’m sure you’ll find a way,” Elsa teased, feeling eyes on her. She turned to see Giselle watching them with some intensity. It felt like she was overreacting, they kissed right in front of her too, but it was rather off-putting. Elsa rose from her seat. “I’m gonna go see if they need any help in the kitchen.”

            She left the two redheads to their devices, as she checked on the others. “Need any help? I’m not exactly great in the kitchen, but I’m used to assisting.”

            “Oh, right, your ex was that chef,” Jack muttered, flipping something that smelled delightful and garlicy in the frying pan. “What was her name?”

            _How does he still not know who she is?_ “Tiana.”

            “That’s it. Thank you. Would you mind stirring this pot?”

            She stirred the cauldron of frothing, boiling water, following Jack’s instruction, as Esmeralda set finished items on the table. They made quick work of the meal’s preparations, and soon everyone was gathered around the table. Elsa and Anna sat on one side, with Esmeralda and Jack on the other, and Giselle at the head of the table.

            She carved each of them a slice of the roast. Even by Tiana’s standards, Elsa was pretty sure this looked impressive. The pasta, asparagus, and potatoes all also looked delicious. The reality seemed to match the presentation as Elsa took a bite. It made her miss her ex a little, but she did her best to shove that aside. She stood by the decisions she’d made, and she was happy where she was. _Well, I’d be happier back in New York, but I’m happy here for now._ “This is amazing,” she offered.

            “Yeah, it’s great,” Anna agreed.

            Esmeralda smirked at Jack. “I don’t think he’s capable of making anything not delicious. Even his –”

            “Esmeralda!” Anna stopped her.

            “I was going to say even his quiche, when I normally hate quiche, but yeah, that’s pretty good too, actually. Not as salty as you’d expect.”

            Anna’s jaw dropped. For her part, Elsa at least wasn’t feeling jealous anymore.

            “Esme, behave,” Giselle snarled.

            She froze up, mouthing something in response, before she caught herself and just said “Sorry.” _Is she her whatever it’s called too? Owner? I thought she was straight. I really don’t understand these people._

            “So you are topping her!” Anna shouted.

            “I never denied that,” Giselle replied. “I just said I’m not dating her.”

            “You know I don’t know the difference.”

            Elsa decided to help herself to another glass of rosé. Anna had good taste in wine.

            "You two should try it out," Esmeralda suggested. Elsa was glad that her mouth was too full of wine to answer. "That'd be pretty hot."

            "Esmeralda, don't torment them," Jack said. "You know how new Anna is to everything, you can't just throw her in the deep end."

            "I thought I already did."

            "Would you two lay off," Anna finally replied. "I'm just not into any of that weird stuff."

            "Well, some would say incest counts as a fetish." Jack stopped, setting his fork down. "I apologize. I didn't mean it like that."

            "You're not wrong," Esmeralda said. "It's definitely one of my fetishes now. Especially seeing the two of them together – I mean, damn."

            Giselle rolled her eyes. "No talking for a little while. Just look how uncomfortable you're making them."

            Fortunately, the roast was still good. Elsa was trying very hard to bite her tongue. These were Anna's friends, and she would not be the one to berate them.  _It's still better than Anastasia's behavior at least. This is nowhere near my worst dinner party._

            "You're one to talk, there, Giselle." Anna took a sip of her wine. She was several glasses less far gone than Elsa was. "I love how supportive you've been, but it's not like you haven't been," she hesitated, rolling her eyes, "getting off to it. Between your crush on Elsa and everything, you were almost more invested than I was."

            "I just want you to be happy, and Elsa is so good for you, and your love is so pure and perfect."

            "Thanks," Elsa muttered.

            Anna cocked her head at the other woman, meeting her eyes with a skeptical gaze.

            "Okay, sure, it's really hot. I just wasn't trying to make a big thing about it. Unless, of course, you wanted to let me watch."

            "We haven't even – there's nothing to watch."

            Elsa drained her glass. That was not exactly the defense that she'd been hoping for.

            "Really? Not at all?" Esmeralda asked. "But you're already so close. It's not like you not to put out. I mean, what's the holdup? You're both absolutely gorgeous women who love each other. I don't see why it should be a thing, just get it over with. Hell, you can use the guest bed if you want, I put clean sheets on it."

            Unable to take it any longer, Elsa rose from her seat, meeting Esmeralda's eyes. If she wasn't being so insufferable, then looking into them she could've maybe understood what Anna had seen in her. "Excuse me for wanting to take things slow. How about you just stop trying to imagine us in bed at all? I've gotten enough of that from every paparazzi and straight boy in the world, I don't need it from you too."

            Esmeralda bit her lip, staring down at the table.  _I'm sure she's getting off on this too._

            "I love Anna, so much more than I could have imagined. I'm dating her. All of that, is between us. I appreciate that you all support us, and I know how much that's meant to Anna while she was going through all of this. Thank you for that. But there's nothing to fetishize here, and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop. We're just a normal, healthy relationship, and trying to treat it as something else is just honestly gross. It took a lot for me to get past her being my sister, and I'm still dealing with it, I don't understand how you can possibly act like that's some exciting thing to enjoy. It's the biggest obstacle, and it's already cost me my best friend. It's not some fun game to play with."

            The chair screeched against the floor as Anna scooched back, draining her own glass. She didn't seem embarrassed or upset by Elsa's behavior; she looked almost guilty. Elsa had certainly seen that look on enough clients, but she couldn't imagine what it was that Anna was thinking.

            "We're not tools for your play."  _God, they've probably role played as us, haven't they?_  "Just treat us like you would any other couple. If you're actually supportive, then is that really too much to ask?"

            Giselle cleared her throat. Some tears were welling up in her eyes as she reluctantly met Elsa's burning gaze. She was still pissed, but seeing her look that pitiful made her reign it back a bit. "I'm sorry," Giselle said. "I really hadn't thought of it like that. I knew we could get a little carried away, but I hadn't quite realized just what we were doing."

            "I just want the two of you to be happy," Jack said.

            "Me too," Esmeralda added. "I mean it, Anna." She reached across the table, not quite able to find Anna's hand. "I'm sorry. I've always been terrible about understanding what was okay for you, haven't I? It's almost like our first date all over again. I just knew you were so into it, and Elsa being – well, Elsa – seemed like more of a plus. I didn't realize that she'd feel the way she does."

            Her brows knitting together in shock, confusion, and maybe a little anger, Elsa turned to face her partner.  _So that's why she looked so guilty. Can that really be true?_

            "I wouldn't take it that far," Anna offered, her teeth showing in a pitiful smile. "It definitely didn't bother me though."

            Elsa blinked, finding herself collapsing back into her chair. Her gaze settled on the glass of wine.  _I should_ 've _known. She had so much time to fall for me_ , of course _the incest bit didn't gross her out like it did me. She'd barely even brought it up when she was talking about her feelings._  "Oh."

            "I still thought it was weird, it just wasn't really a setback." She stared at the food before meeting Elsa's eyes. "Maybe a little bit of a turn on. But it doesn't mean anything! Please say this isn't a deal breaker?"

            Reaching out, Elsa seized Anna's hands.  _God, I'm such a fool._ Of course that _'s what she'd think. I've always given her so many reasons to expect that I'd run off._ "I just don't want it brought up like that. I'm not upset with you. I love you. I'm glad that you enjoy being with me, even if it's in a way I don't understand. You're not doing anything wrong."

            "Are you sure?" She searched Elsa's eyes for some sign. She seemed to find it as her lips curled into a nervous smile.

            "I'm sure." She met her lips with her own, holding her hands close.

            "Thanks," Anna managed, wiping at her eyes.

            Without her having seen, Giselle must've stood up and made her way over. Her hand rested on Elsa's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I promise we'll all be better. I really believe in your relationship, and I guess I got a little too carried away with it and dragged them with me."

            "It's okay." Elsa met her eyes, she seemed to be crying. "Apparently Anna doesn't mind, so you can all talk about that with her. Just understand that I need it to not be a thing when I'm around. As far as I'm concerned, Anna and I are just any old couple."

            "I understand."

            Esmeralda rummaged through some cabinets before returning with a bottle. "I really am sorry. How about we try to turn this party back around with some scotch? Anna had said you were a fan. It's probably not quite what you're used to, but Glenlivet has never steered me wrong. I mean, it's definitely not as good as some of the bottles I got in Scotland, but I didn't exactly save them."

            Snatching the bottle from her hand, Elsa poured them each a glass. She definitely needed the drink. "Thank you. This looks great." Her first sip disagreed, but it grew on her as she finished the glass.

            The five of them began to relax again, now that the tension had dissipated. They finished the meal and had enough drinks that Elsa and Anna had to use that guest bed, though not for Esmeralda's suggested purposes. It all went a lot smoother, and by the end Elsa had forgiven them. It was just nice being around people who genuinely approved of their relationship. Once it no longer felt like they were a show, just being able to be comfortable with Anna was magical. It made it all feel like it wasn't just a pipe dream. This relationship could actually work. Passing out in Anna's arms was the perfect cherry on top of the night.


	52. Anna - I Guess We'll Just Be Subtle

            Tracing her finger in a slow circle on Elsa’s belly, Anna leaned against her, blinking away sleep. She wasn’t sure what had woken her up; she didn’t recall having a bad dream, but it was the middle of night, and for some reason, she was awake.

            Waking up to Elsa certainly made that a less horrible predicament. _She’s so ruined my sleep schedule._ Her skin was so soft under her finger – positively perfect in every way. It was all she’d ever dreamed. _Wow, that sounds pathetic. Was I really dreaming about how her skin felt?_

            She peered into Elsa’s sleeping face, her eyes moving under their lids. She’d had enough time for the idea to have set in. It’s been almost two weeks, for God’s sake, but it still wasn’t enough. Every single time she saw her, each morning when she woke up, she was absolutely convinced that the whole charade would just crumble apart. Whatever had possessed Elsa to agree to this would unravel, and her depravity would be denied, laid bare, and demolished. She would finally come to her senses and realize that Anna was just insane.

            Each day going by without such an event was reassuring her, but it still seemed impossible. Elsa, the woman she’d been unable to stop thinking about, even with Moana – the woman she had so desperately craved and not even come close to deserving, was in her bed. She was her girlfriend. _She loves me._

            Resting her head on her sister’s chest, Anna found comfort in the steady heartbeat. She was really there. _She really came around. After everything with Giselle, I’d been so worried that she’d finally wake up. Instead, she’s shared a bed with me every single night for the last three days. Olaf’s been at his dad’s, which if it wasn’t for her, I’m not sure I’d be able to handle, but she’s really been here._ She breathed in the woman she so adored, treasuring her scent as the steady thumping made her grow drowsy again.

            _She’s even starting to seem ready for more. The way she’s been holding me when we make out, the way she grabbed my ass, it’s really gonna happen. I’m just going to have to survive a little more waiting, and she is so ridiculously worth it._ “I love you,” she murmured, her eyelids fluttering shut without her consent.

            _Maybe this really will last_. She was finally allowing herself to believe it. Perhaps it was her doubts that had stirred her, as with this new conviction, sleep was finally seizing her again. She drifted off, her arm wrapped tightly around her partner, holding her close as she slept.

 

* * *

 

            The drive over to Kristoff’s was so much less nerve-wracking than it had always been. Anna hadn’t even noticed it at the time, but she always felt so tense, so uncomfortable, when she had to make the biweekly trip. Even their renewed friendship hadn’t changed it. Now, however, she was finally cured. _It must’ve been from the other day. We really made amends, or at least close enough. He’s actually letting me take Olaf to New York. I was so scared that he wouldn’t; he has every reason not to. He’s his son too. He’s only doing this for me, and that means he’s forgiven me._

            Olaf opened the door on the second knock. “Mama!” he cheered, leaping into her arms.

            Anna scooped him up as she headed inside, holding her son close. She had missed him so much. _How am I going to handle him being gone all summer? Three days was already too painful._ “Hey, Olaf. Your dad around?” _He better not have left you alone._

            “I’m here!” Kristoff called, coming in from the other room. “Sorry, I told him I’d get it.”

            “But I wanted to!”

            Anna smiled at him. It was still strange getting along with him, but she was glad that the animosity between them seemed to have finally died down. “It’s fine. I’m not gonna complain about getting to see my son a few seconds early.”

            Olaf beamed up at her. “I made you this!” He wriggled around in her arms, trying to produce the drawing from behind his back. On the picture, Elsa seemed to be sitting in the captain’s chair, with Olaf and Anna on consoles, and what must’ve been Kristoff as a Klingon at the back in yellow. “Do you like it?” She was a little relieved that he hadn’t included Moana. Maybe he was finally getting over her.

            “I love it.”

            “It’s our family.”

            Swallowing the knot that seemed to form in her throat, Anna nodded. It was their family, and she was so happy about it. “Why aren’t you the captain? Is this not the Olafprize?”

            “I am the captain, but since Elsa is my sensei, I’m letting her be in charge while she’s on board.”

            “That’s very sweet of you.” Setting him back down on the floor, Anna ruffled his short blond hair. It grown to the point where he’d need a haircut soon. “I hope you two had fun?” she added, turning to Kristoff.

            “Yeah, it was great.”

            “He even let us watch Star Wars!”  
            Trying her best not to grin too broadly at him, Anna asked, “Thought you were mad at Star Wars?”

            “I can’t stay mad at it. Even if Star Trek is so much better. Lightsabers are cool.”

            _That’d be why we have like five of them at this point._ “Well then, I’m glad you could put your differences aside for the sake of laser swords.”

            “I’ll put up with a lot of things for the sake of laser swords. It’s the only reason I watched that sh – really bad Zorro cartoon.”

            “I liked it,” Olaf muttered.

            Anna gave Kristoff a playful glare. _How dare you insult a show he likes?_ “Well, I think that Zorro is great.” _Okay, the show was pretty bad._

            “Yeah!” Olaf cheered.

            “Then you two can watch it.” _Wait. No. I take it back. I’m not sitting through that again._

            “Really, Mama?” He turned toward her, his face lighting up all over again. “We can watch it? It was so much fun. Maybe Aunt Elsa could watch it with us too.”

            “Yeah, maybe,” Anna replied through gritted teeth.

            Kristoff’s shit-eating grin only added to the wound. _I suppose there have to at least be some benefits for him giving him up._ “I’m sure we can show Elsa a bunch of cool shows. You know, she hasn’t even watched much Star Trek.” _Please work._

            His eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. “She hasn’t? Then we have to fix that! Come on, Mama, there’s no time to spare!” He grabbed at her hand, trying to drag her out of the apartment as she stood still.

            “Say goodbye to your papa first.”

            “Oh.” Stopping in his tracks, he pivoted to face his father, an embarrassed little smile on his face. “Sorry, Papa. I’ll see you soon! I love you.” _So he doesn’t understand._

            Kristoff managed to return his smile with only a bit of pain showing. Letting his son move across the country without him had to be the hardest thing he’d ever done. It was almost enough to make Anna want to see if Elsa could get him a job in New York too. _But if he found out about us –_  she tried not to think any more on that. She trusted Kristoff, but she’d already seen just how badly that conversation could go. “You have fun in New York, kiddo. I’m gonna miss you.”

            He cocked his head, peering up at Kristoff. “I’ll miss you too,” he offered hesitantly, turning back to his mother. _I was really hoping Kristoff had talked to him already._

            “Hey, honey, how about you give your father a hug and get in the car? I need to talk to him for a second.”

            “Okay.” He nodded, and threw his arms around Kristoff, hugging him tight, before he ran off to the car. Anna beeped it open when he got there.

            “Leave the door open!” she called after him. She didn’t want him roasting in there, even if it would only be about a minute with both of them still watching him. They left the front door open, as Kristoff took a few steps toward her so they could talk more quietly. The place was on the second floor, there was almost no chance Olaf would overhear. “So you didn’t talk to him about it?”

            Chewing on his lip, Kristoff shook his head. “I hinted at it some, I mean I thought he knew.”

            “He does. Kind of.”

            “Want me to go tell him? He’ll stop being mad at me by the time he comes back out here.” It was clear in his eyes just how much that fact hurt him. He would probably be crying as soon as she drove off. It put a bit of a damper on her enjoyment of the whole thing.

            “No, it’s okay. I’ll talk to him about it.” _I owe Kristoff that much._  
            “You sure?” His own pain seemed to make way for his concern for her. He always worried for her, and Anna presumed at this point he always would. It made their being cordial all the more important.

            “Yeah. I’m the one dragging him to New York. I did tell him,” she insisted, leaning against the door frame, watching him swing his legs out of the car. “I guess I just didn’t tell him well enough.”

            “I’m sure it’ll go all right. You were right, he worships Elsa. He’ll be thrilled to be living with her.”

            Nodding, Anna couldn’t help but think how much she related to that sentiment. _Elsa is perfect._ “He’ll be back for a full week before school starts up. I already started the applications for first grade at the school near Elsa’s. I want to meet a few of the teachers, but I looked up stuff about it and it seems like it’s really good.”

            “That’s great to hear.” His smile was almost convincing. “You should probably get going. Make sure you give him a big hug for me when you get down there.”

            Anna gave him a quick hug, pulling away after a couple seconds. It still felt a little weird. “Yeah. Maybe I’ll go buy him some ice cream, sit him down, and make sure he understands what’s happening. He’s been a trooper so far, I know he’ll be all right.”

            “He will,” Kristoff insisted, forcing another smile. “We did a great job raising him, somehow. He’ll be fine.”

            She tried her best not to focus on the implied ‘unlike me.’ “All right, I’ll get going. Thanks for looking after him the last few days.” She walked down the stairs, turning back to wave to her ex-husband.

            “Don’t forget that hug,” he called back as he closed the door.

            “Right. I won’t. Bye.”

            At the car, she pulled Olaf into a hug, trying to hold back tears. She was ripping him away from his father. _Hopefully New York really will be good for him. I really hope Nani takes that job, I don’t want him to lose his best friend and his father all because of me._ “Let’s go get ice cream.”

 

* * *

 

            Sitting down in the Dairy Queen, with a chocolate-dipped cone, Anna watched Olaf dig into his sundae. She wasn’t sure how to begin. He should already know what’s going on, but he certainly didn’t seem to. _Guess I should just start._ She bit into the chocolate-coated chocolate ice cream to buy herself some time to think. “So, you know what’s happening tomorrow, right?”

            “Yeah.” His smiling face was coated in strawberry syrup and ice cream. “We’re going to New York.”

            “Right.” _So he gets that at least._ “And you understand that we’re staying there?”

            “Yeah, of course. We’re moving.”

            _Did he just forget when he was talking to his dad?_ “That’s right.”

            “So when are we coming back?”

            Anna licked ice cream off of her cone. There it was. “We might not be. Hopefully, we’re just going to stay in New York.”

            “Oh.” He frowned, considering his bowl of ice cream. “Are Lilo and Papa coming with us?”

            “Lilo might be,” she offered. It was better than having to just tell him no. She’d been dreading this conversation for so long. She’d been relieved when it had looked like it wouldn’t happen, but of course she couldn’t be quite that lucky.

            “Then how will I see Papa?”

            “You’ll fly back out here.”

            “Without you?” he asked, looking nervous. “Mama, I can’t fly by myself. I’d get lost. How will I find the way to Portland?”

            “The pilot will take care of that. You’ll have someone with you the whole way until you’re with your papa. You don’t need to worry about that.”

            “Oh.” After a moment of thought, he beamed at her. “You mean Moana?”

            _This is just not going well._ “Probably not Moana.” _I think she does fly United though. I suppose it’s possible, I’m not entirely sure how the unaccompanied minor program works, but I’m doubting it. I wonder if she’d even be willing to. I know how badly I hurt her._

            “Then who?”

            “I’m not sure, Olaf. It’ll just be someone who works for the airline.”

            “But Moana works for them!”  
            With a heavy sigh, Anna licked some ice cream off her wrist and busied herself trying to work it back down to the cone so it would stop dripping. “I doubt it’ll be someone you know.”

            “But I’m not supposed to go with strangers!” He looked panicked, his smeared face somehow adding to the look of horror.

            “Well, I’ll be there when I hand you over. They won’t be a stranger then.”

            “Are you sure?” Stabbing the spoon into his food, he narrowed his eyes at her, trying to wrap his head around this information. “Wouldn’t they still be a stranger since we didn’t already know them?”

            _Clearly, he needs to become a philosopher._ “I’m not sure, honey. I’ll make sure it’s someone we can trust.”

            The petulant look on his face did nothing to convince her he believed that. “Okay.”

            “It won’t be too bad. I promise.”

            “How do you know? Did you do it?”

            “Well, no.”

            “Then why do I have to?”

            Anna bit into the cone, letting the chocolate soothe her mind. She hated doing this to him. Her parents would so often just say that it was because they’d said so, or that that was just how things were done. They so rarely gave a decent explanation. Elsa did. Even if a lot of them turned out to be wrong as they grew up, she at least always tried to. _So, I just need to be as good of a mother as my girlfriend was to me. I’m starting to see why she was so uncomfortable with us._ “I know it’s not fair. I’m sorry. I’ll do everything I can to make it better, but we’re going to be moving in with Elsa. You like that, right?”

            “I do,” he muttered.

            “Well, your papa lives out here, and he can’t just come with us.”

            “Why not?”

            She sighed. “I don’t think he’d want to. This is his home.”

            “But it’s our home and we’re moving!”  
            _He has a point._ “Well, maybe eventually he’ll decide to move out too.” _I really hope not though._ “Until then, you’ll have to visit him this way.”

            “Can Sven come with me?” he pleaded, his lip quivering with fear and hope.

            “I think Kristoff needs him. You don’t want him to be all alone out here, do you?”  
            “Well, no,” he grumbled.

            “Then let him keep Sven. You’ll still see him whenever you visit.”

            “Are you sure?”

            _Unless he has somewhere else to go._ “I’m sure.” _Maybe he has another family, and he has to go on his own trip to go see them. That’d be adorable, just seeing him sitting in the window seat, watching the plane take off._

“Okay,” he finally said, digging back into his ice cream.

            It likely wasn’t the last of this, but he seemed to have accepted her answers for now, and she was proud of herself for having actually given them. She’d earned this ice cream. When she finished off her cone, Olaf was almost done with his sundae. She wiped off their faces, and they headed back way back to the car. _Hopefully, I didn’t ruin his appetite for dinner. I wanted to have Flying Pie one more time before I left._

 

* * *

 

            The half-finished pizza lay on the table between them, as Olaf flopped onto the couch to go watch something. Anna used the moment to lean against Elsa, enjoying the leisure time as they all digested. She was going to really miss Portland. _I won’t see Giselle, Esmeralda, or Jack any time soon. And I’m losing all the restaurants Esmeralda showed me!_ Elsa was worth it, of course, but it was still suddenly all too real. She had one more night in her home of seven years, and then she would be gone for good.

            Running her fingers through Anna’s hair, Elsa planted a gentle kiss on her temple. “You okay?”  
            She nodded, not wanting to break the comfortable silence. She’d talk to Elsa about it all once Olaf went to bed. The conversation would be far too likely to grow very intimate. It could wait another hour or two.

            The volume on the tv suddenly doubled, as Olaf started his show. He’d missed the episode when it was on, and had no intention of going to bed without seeing it. As it was summer vacation, Anna allowed it.

            “Am I going to have to get used to this?” Elsa asked, gesturing toward the TV.

            “Well, yeah, it’s his favorite show.”

            “Great,” she grumbled, curling a strand of hair around her finger.

            “It grows on you. I promise it’s not that bad.”

            She did not seem to believe her, but she didn’t bother to reply, instead focusing on toying with Anna’s hair. Anna didn’t object. _Maybe she’ll get into it eventually. It actually has some pretty good moments, and some of the interactions are really good._

            The massive explosion followed by some terrible acting as they talked to the villain likely did little to convince Elsa. _There’s a reason it’s been going for twenty-six years._ Anything with a villainous computer virus was likely just never going to be Elsa’s cup of tea.

            They pulled apart as the show ended. Olaf leapt up and turned to them. The timing relieved Anna. They shouldn’t have been so foolish, they had to keep things secret for at least the next twelve years and they were off to a terrible start. “Did you like your episode?” she asked, her voice as calm and collected as she could make it.

            “Yeah! It was really good. When will I get animal powers?”

            “When you’re bitten by a radioactive animal, I guess.” _This is not a lesson I should be teaching him. ‘If you really want to be a superhero, then go wander around radioactive wastelands waiting to be bitten. I hear Chernobyl is nice this time of year.’_ “But you’re perfect just the way you are.”

            “But I don’t have lion powers!”  
            “You’re a Jedi-ninja,” Elsa reminded him. “That’s much better than being an animal person.”

            “But I wanna be a beast morpher!”

            “Well then, I guess we’ll just have to stop your lessons until I find a radioactive animal.”

            His eyes widened as he waved his hands in front of him in surrender. “No! I still love being a Jedi-ninja, Sensei, I’m sorry.”

            “All right, then. That’s what I thought. We’ll continue your lessons tomorrow.”

            “Yes, Sensei.” _She really is good with him. I can’t even manage that._

“Now go to bed,” Anna added.

            “But it’s still early,” he whined.

            “We have an early flight tomorrow. I want you to still get a full night’s sleep.” She gestured upstairs. “Come on. We have to get up at five AM.”

            “Then we shouldn’t leave so early!”

            _I’m not explaining how booking flights works. It was the shortest one with no connections._ “Well, this is the one we have. So get some sleep.”

            “Fine,” he muttered, marching toward the stairway. He turned back, his expression as pitiful as he could manage. “Can I just stay up another half hour?”

            “Go to bed.”

            With a mighty groan, he made his way up to his room.

            “Brush your teeth first!”

            The door opened again and she could hear water running upstairs. Elsa giggled, dragging Anna back to her. “That was close.”

            “Yeah, we’ve been really bad about that.”

            She nodded, her jaw set in a worried expression.

            “It’ll be okay. He won’t think anything’s up.” _I hope._

            “He might not, and then he’ll talk about it to someone else, and they’ll figure things out.”

            “I mean, probably not. If it’s all just mundane parental affection, then I doubt he’d even see a reason to talk about it. We’re his family. I certainly didn’t talk about how mom and dad were never home when I was a kid. It just didn’t come up.”

            Her brow furrowed as she looked down at Anna. “They were around.”

            “Elsa –”

            “And either way, there’s a big difference. They were just busy with work. We’re –” she hesitated, biting her lip. “We’re in an incestuous relationship and not being at all subtle about it. If he tells anyone, it’ll be pretty obvious.”

            “Well, they don’t have to know we’re related.”

            Elsa shook her head, her lips pursed as she stared off in the general direction of the fridge. “Some people already do. It’s too big of a risk.”

            “Then I guess we’ll just be subtle.” Anna pulled back to meet Elsa’s eyes. She reached out, gripping her hands in her own. “I know it’s scary. I’m sorry. But I promise, we’ll make it worth it.”

            “It’s already worth it, Anna.”

            “Oh.” Cheeks coloring, Anna fumbled for a response. She knew that Elsa had finally fallen for her, and that they’d already crossed over any point where they could still back out. She just hadn’t expected her to have come around to quite that degree yet.

            “I love you, Anna. I think I’ve been pretty clear about that by now.”

            “You have. I just – I mean – you’re still my – er, I’m not supposed to say that. You’re just so scared, I thought you still had doubts. You really think it’s worth it?”

            Elsa’s grip tightened on Anna’s hands. _I shouldn’t have asked that. I’m just making her feel bad now._ “I thought you understood.” She rose from the chair, closing the limited distance between them, and kneeling before Anna. “It’s still scary, of course it is, and I have good reason to be worried, but that doesn’t mean I have doubts. Being with you has been absolutely magical. I have fallen so hard for you and I don’t want anything else. You don’t need to worry, I’m not going to just back out of things. I want to be with you.”

            Anna could feel her cheeks growing even warmer. When Elsa tried to be romantic, boy did she ever succeed. “So you’re really ready for me to move in tomorrow?”

            Elsa only faltered for a fraction of a second. “It’s big, and it’s gonna be a major change, but yeah, I am. I want you with me. I just hope you won’t go too stir-crazy with me at work all the time. I’m trying to cut back some, but it’s still my life.”

            “I’ll manage. If I can find a teaching job soon, then that takes up just about as much time. We can sit together on the couch as you go over legal papers and I grade class papers. It’ll be really nice.”  
            Elsa’s lips curved into a warm smile as she pictured that. “That does sound nice. Okay, I just wanted to make sure you knew that I wouldn’t just be around the house all the time like I have been of late.”

            “I know, honey. We’re adults, you’re allowed to have jobs.”

            “I suppose it does sound silly when you put it like that. Sorry.”

            Her fingers twined through Elsa’s hair as she pulled her to her until their lips met. Her free hand fell to Elsa’s hips, pushing her flush against her. It was only a moment before her hand cupped Elsa’s ass; she was trying to just be romantic, but it was hard to resist. It was just too nice. _Maybe I should start jogging too._

            She was shocked when Elsa escalated as well, pulling her half out of the chair until her legs were wrapped around Elsa, as she lightly nibbled on her lip. Anna shuddered, letting out a soft whimper. She wanted this so badly. _I can wait. I know Elsa’s not ready yet._

            “Let’s go to your bedroom,” Elsa said, with only the slightest hint of fear, as they pulled back. Her eyes were half-lidded, her breathing was rapid and hot against Anna’s neck. _Or maybe she is._

            “You mean?”

            Elsa bit into her own lip, nervously meeting Anna’s eyes again as she nodded.

            Anna grabbed her hand and dashed up the stairs. She could be quiet if she had to be. She’d wanted this for so long, she could scarcely believe it was even happening. Even as they fell into bed together, it felt more like a dream. If it was, then it was the best dream she’d ever had, and it led to a restful sleep of more beautiful dreams in her beloved’s arms. It was, without a doubt, the best way to spend her last night at home.


	53. Elsa - You're Worth It

_ We’re almost home _ . The city grew below them, welcoming Elsa back after her brief departure. As familiar and welcoming as it felt, it was hard not to focus on the massive and unignorable change. Anna wasn’t coming to visit, this wasn’t just another trip, she was moving in with her, and as her new partner at that. 

She turned to Anna, to find Olaf pushing his face against the window, staring out at the city beneath them. She could hardly blame him. 

“We’re home,” Anna said, meeting her gaze and offering a warm smile. 

So many meanings for that little phrase, and they were all true. “We are.”

Olaf beamed up at the two of them as the plane bounced on the ground. “Can we get food?”

Elsa chuckled. “Yeah. I have a big court emergency I have to get to at three, but we can eat first.” She’d been looking forward to relaxing and helping Anna move in, but the sudden change of attorney and the motion for injunctive relief wouldn’t wait. 

“You sure you have time?” Anna asked.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

The slightly reddened cheeks and massive grin were worth risking being a little late for court. 

Once they had their bags, they hurried out and were in a cab by 1:50. There were a few cafes near the courthouse, so Elsa would have time to at least take a few bites of a muffin before she’d have to run off. 

By 2:15, they were seated with food. They’d made far better time than Elsa had expected. “So, what is this injunctive relief thing?” Anna asked, taking a bite of her reheated pizza slice.  _ And I thought I ate pizza a lot. _

“It’s boring.”

“Not when you tell it.”

_ Could we maybe not be all lovey-dovey right next to the only place I work as often as my firm? _ Olaf glanced between them before returning to his sandwich.

“A few months ago, another company sued a company that I represent for infringing on their patent. The claim is patently absurd – if you’ll pardon the pun – but it had enough validity that the judge refused to dismiss it. We should be getting near the actual trial, but my company was trying to move forward with their product.”

“Okay?”

“Since the other company maintains that they have the patent on it, they’ve filed for an injunctive relief, where, if they have their way, the judge would say that my client wouldn’t be allowed to release their product. I need to prove that the facts aren’t enough on their side to justify the injunction, and that it would put an undue burden on my client.” Anna’s eyes seemed to have glazed over. “I told you it was boring.”

“It isn’t!” As she chewed on her pizza, she made several exaggerated expressions to show that she was considering Elsa’s words. “Why would they only be filing that thing now? Shouldn’t they have done it a while ago.”

Elsa shrugged. “There’s a new attorney, apparently. I think the old team didn’t really expect anything from this and just wanted to make sure that they were visibly protecting their patent in case anyone decided to actually infringe upon it.”

“And the new one thinks he has a case?”

“It would seem it. Or else they’re just eager to show off their moot court credentials from school now that they can do it for real.”

Anna dabbed at her face with another napkin. “I guess that makes sense. At least the parts I understood. So you’re not worried at all?”

“I don’t see any reason I should be.”

“That’s good to hear.” The adorable grease and marinara stained grin sent butterflies to Elsa’s belly. She’d thought that after the previous night things would be different, that she wouldn’t be acting like an awkward girl with her first crush, but it seemed to have somehow made things even worse. At least she was good at faking it.

“Yeah.” She checked her watch. She still had time, but she had to go through security and find the courtroom. “I should probably head over. You two have a great night. Enjoy your Spider-Man, Olaf.” 

“I will!” he cheered, as he opened his brownie.

Anna approached her, but stopped halfway there. They both wanted to kiss goodbye, but they also both knew that it was a bad idea. It didn’t matter that people here didn’t know they were sisters, word traveled, especially in the legal community. “I love you,” Elsa said, and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

“I’ll see you at home.” Anna’s smile pulled at her cheeks. They were really living together. Elsa found herself grinning too. 

“We can order Chinese?” Elsa suggested.

“Sounds great.”

“Well –” she gestured toward the door. “See you then.” Resisting the renewed urge to kiss her partner, Elsa turned to leave. She was glad that the moving truck wouldn’t arrive for a few more days, as she’d have felt terrible missing it. She’d still have the rest of the week off to help Anna and Olaf move in, and she’d already hired movers to take care of everything, but it still would’ve made her feel guilty.

She made it to the courtroom with time to spare and milled about outside, finishing her coffee. The opposing counsel still hadn’t shown up, and there was already a trial wrapping up in there, so she took a seat by the door while she waited. Anna had sent her a text message. Maybe I’m not the only person acting like a giddy schoolgirl after last night.

‘Already miss you. We’re just heading home now. Still can’t believe I can say that about your place. It’s so amazing. I love you so much, Elsa. You’re perfect.’ 

Her cheeks reddened, and Elsa glanced around before composing a reply. She never got the chance to send that message. Her opposing counsel was there. “Anya.”

“That’s Ms. Romanov to you,” she snarled back, green eyes blazing in righteous fury. 

_ Yeah, she’s the one with a reason to be pissed, like I’m supposed to believe she didn’t jump on this case just to fuck with me. _ “It’s been a while, Anya.”

Her eyes narrowed, her teeth bared as she met Elsa’s gaze. “I said it’s Ms. Romanov.”

“I’ve known you far too long for that.”

“Elsa –”

“So it’s not Ms. Agnarrsen?”

Her hand tensed into a fist at her side. “You’re violating my client’s patent. They were willing to be nice before, but now that you’re going forward with bringing it to market, I had no choice but to step in.” She pulled a pen and paper from her briefcase and quickly scribbled something before handing the paper over to Elsa. “Because my client is just so very generous, we’re willing to pay to take the product off of your hands. If we go into this courtroom, then you won’t be able to make a cent, this way, they don’t have to close their business, they just have to find a new product.”

“Assuming you win,” Elsa added. It was a large assumption, the similarities between the two programs were nowhere near conclusive.

“I will. You forget, Elsa, all I have to do is discredit you.”

Her eyes widened, and it took a fraction of a second for Elsa to find her words again, but it was more than enough to give away her hand. “This isn’t a jury trial, a judge won’t –”

“A judge may care about you violating the morality clause of the bar. And of course if you’re willing to do that, then who’s to say what you’d do for your client.”

“That’s bullshit.”

She wanted to punch the smirk off of Anya’s smug face. “You’re welcome to find out. Then we can see how the bar hearing goes. I do wonder what your partners would say if they found out. You think they’d want someone like you representing their firm?”

“Anya –”

“Ms. Romanov.” People swarmed out of the open courtroom, interrupting their conversation. “It looks like it’s time,” she said, when they were alone again. “Take my settlement offer to your client.”

The second Anya disappeared into the courtroom, Elsa deflated, sinking back onto the bench. She should’ve expected this, she should’ve had a plan, or at least the beginnings of one, but it hadn’t even occurred to her. Her best friend was blackmailing her.  _ Of course she is. How am I surprised? _

She didn’t have many options. She grabbed her phone. This was going to be complicated.

“Welcome back,” Albert greeted her. 

“Huh? Oh. Right. Thanks.”

“Something the matter?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” She caught him up on the problem, sparing any details that she wasn’t willing to repeat in the courthouse. He was a big boy, he could infer the rest.

“Well fuck, Elsie.”  _ Am I going to let him call me that? Yeah, fine, I have more important stuff on my plate right now.  _ “I’ll be right over there. I’ll take over. You don’t need to worry, it shouldn’t even be an issue.”

“In what way will that help?” Elsa groaned, wishing she could punch something, but only clenching her first on the side of her dress. “You’re the only person she possibly hates more than me.”

“I’m glad I fired her.”

“You didn’t. She quit because you were a terrible person.”

“Oh. Right. Ironic.”

A dry chuckle tumbled unheeded from Elsa’s lips. Tough to believe that the very woman blackmailing her had always been lecturing her on morality. “She always was a hypocrite.”

“So what are we going to do? We can’t just give into her demands. I know they’re your client, but I can’t imagine that they’d handle that too well.”

“No. It would cost them everything.” Grinding her teeth, Elsa stared at the door to the courtroom. She didn’t have long. “Tell Ms. Thermopolis to drop everything and get down here. She’s the only person I can trust with this case.”

“Does she know?”

_ That would sure make things easier.  _ “No, but she trusts me enough that she won’t buy into Anya’s bullshit, and worst case scenario, I’ll just have to talk to her.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. It was the best of all of her terrible options. “I’m due in court any minute, hurry.”

Before she had the chance to go talk to the judge – not that talking to her ex parte was a great idea – Anastasia left the courtroom, her eyes trained on Elsa’s. “Have you talked to your client yet? The offer won’t last long, I’d far prefer just ruining you in public anyway.”

Elsa blinked. _Wow, I really am off my game today. She got to me so badly I didn’t even bother to run the offer by my client._ _Granted, I know for a fact that she won’t be interested, but it’s not like me to forget._ “Just waiting to hear back from here.” Even Elsa was surprised by just how calm she sounded. She was still in control, not even Anya could take that from her.

“Well don’t take too long. You’re due in court in –” she glanced at her Rolex, doubtless just for emphasis, “Two minutes.”

_ Finally, an opening. I’m not letting her destroy me without a fight.  _ “I’m surprised you can still bring yourself to wear that.”

Anya’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t reply.

“I still remember when I bought it for you. It was our second – no, third anniversary.” 

The glare intensified.

“I thought my taint would have spread to it by now, but maybe you just like playing it up to get under my skin.”  _ Don’t let her reply, you just have to break on through, this is the weakest part of your argument – the downside of not having had the chance to plan.  _ “Maybe the real issue isn’t my depravity, but that you’re scared it means I never really loved you. And if I didn’t, then why should Belle? Why should anyone?”

Her mouth opened and promptly slammed shut.  _ So I hit a nerve.  _

“You don’t need to worry. I can offer you without a shadow of a doubt –”  she paused for just the barest second to let Anya believe she was about to apologize and bury the hatchet. But she hurt Anna and scared Olaf. There was no forgiving that. “You’re right. You’re unloveable.”

Without a word, Anya spun on her heel and marched back into the courtroom. Chances were good that that would cost her more in the long run, but it was oh so worth it.

“Ms. Agnarrsen?” a voice behind her asked.

That was quick. Even speeding the whole way, it should’ve taken at least ten minutes for her to make it here. “Mia.” Elsa turned around, letting the relief at seeing her friend wash away all the pain. 

“I just finished up in Courtroom 2C. Mr. Gaston said you needed me.”

“I do.”  _ What on earth can I tell her?  _ “I have a complicated history with the new opposing counsel, and I don’t think I could do my best work. As loathe as I am to pass off Ms. Porter’s case, I need someone else to do it.”

“But I don’t know any of the facts of the case. I’m pretty sure you’d still be a lot better than me.”

_ If only that was true. _ “Right now, they’re just trying to file for injuctive relief. If they had a good case for it, they’d have probably been able to get a TRO and we wouldn’t even be here, so you shouldn’t have too much issue.”

“Then why can’t you do it?”

“I just can’t.” Needing to convey the desperation of the situation, and already out of time, Elsa squeezed Mia’s hand. “Please. Just take it. Our client, Ms. Porter, her company has a program that figures out investments based on the criteria you give it. It’s not the first of its kind, but from what I can understand, it seems to be unique. It wasn’t even an issue when we got the patent on it, but now that it’s gone up in scale, Anya – the plaintiff is convinced that in its current iteration, the program violates their patent on a similar program.”

“It doesn’t seem like their claim would hold water unless they have a very good explanation – especially since we already have our own patent.”

“Exactly. So this shouldn’t be a problem.” Elsa managed a weak grin. “Just take care of it for me, please.”

“All right. Whatever you need.”

Mia marched into the courtroom, just as an increasingly irate Judge Woodlore stared out at them. “Amelia Thermopolis for the defense, your honor.” 

“About time.” 

Anya stood, ready to protest, her wrist free of the glimmering gold. Unfortunately for her, insisting that the new lawyer wouldn’t be adequate counsel for the person you’re suing isn’t the most compelling argument. She kept her mouth shut, and Elsa was able to leave her client in Mia’s capable hands. She just needed to come up with a way to prevent that from happening again. If she ran away from every case against Anya, it wouldn’t be long until no one would want to hire her in the first place. That couldn’t be allowed to happen. She’d find a solution.

 

* * *

 

 

_ I’m pretty sure I recall Anna saying that Olaf likes KFC. I have no idea if I like it, I haven’t been allowed to have chain fried chicken in years – it would’ve been a national scandal if the partner of the queen of soul food was caught eating there – but it sounds perfect right now. I could use a bunch of empty carbs and fat on top of meat that’s theoretically not just hardened salt.  _

There were half a dozen just on the way home, so she stopped at one in Queens, and picked up a massive bucket of inflated chicken along with some biscuits, potato wedges, and mac ‘n cheese.  _ Hopefully Olaf likes most of this. I just don’t want to message Anna and risk having to explain why I’m already heading home, or how court went.   _

The smell of the battered poultry lured Olaf downstairs before Anna could say so much as a word, much to both Elsa and Anna’s chagrin. Hard to have a ‘how was work, honey?’ when they can’t admit they’re a couple.

“Make sure you wash your hands,” Anna chided him, as Olaf reached for a chicken leg. When he turned to the kitchen sink, she took the chance to steal a kiss from Elsa. Their fingers grazed, both barely clutching at the other as she pulled away, just in time for Olaf to begin ripping the ‘crispy’ from his chicken. “You have to eat any chicken you take the skin from.”

“But Mama!”

“No, you’re not just eating chicken skin for your meal.”

“I was gonna have mac n cheese too.”

She rolled her eyes. “Eat your chicken.” Her smile softened as she turned back to Elsa, as they each took their seats. “Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Elsa replied.  _ I’ve missed being able to eat junk food. I wonder when it will lose its novelty. _

_ " _ I thought we were having Chinese?" 

_ Right. That is a thing that I would've been reminded of, had I messaged her before grabbing food.  _ "This was on the way," she said, waving off the question. 

Anna shrugged. “So how was court?”

_And there we go._ _I don’t want to just lie to her or pretend that nothing happened, but I can’t worry Olaf._ She stuffed some chicken in her face to buy more time to consider an answer. Being in a healthy relationship always made things so complicated.  “I had Mia take care of it,” she admitted. _Please just understand that we can’t talk about this in front of Olaf._

Their eyes met, Elsa willing the message across. “What happened? Is that why you’re home so early? You’d said not to expect you until six at the earliest.”

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Elsa?” 

She felt Anna’s hand grab hers under the table and squeezed it as reassuringly as she could manage. She hadn’t considered just how much having to keep things secret from Olaf would affect. Just inviting Anna to the other room to talk it over wasn’t even an option if they wanted to ensure that they didn’t worry him. Offering the warmest smile she could manage, Elsa said “It’s fine. I just wanted to come home to my family.”

That seemed to finally have the desired result. Anna’s cheeks colored and she turned her attention to their food. She’d tell her everything once Olaf had gone to bed, but until then, Anna didn’t have to worry, no matter how much reason there was to do so.

Olaf began digging through the bag, heaping noodles and cheese sauce into a bowl – he didn’t like it touching his chicken. “Did you finish your other food?” Anna asked.

He glanced at the two legs, still all but covered in meat, then looked away. “Yes?”

“Olaf.”

“I’m still eating,” he insisted.

Anna narrowed her eyes, her hand resting on her hip.  _ She looks almost like our mom when she does that. I’m going to bury that thought as far as it can go and never let it pop up again.  _ Elsa shuddered. “All right, but if you don’t finish all of it then you can’t have dessert.”

“But –”  he looked between the two of them, desperate for rescue.

“You heard your mother,” Elsa said. 

“Yes, Sensei,” he grumbled, picking up the chicken and nibbling at it reluctantly.

Anna sighed. “I swear, he actually does like chicken.”

He grumbled against his food.

Elsa shrugged. “You were the same as a kid.”  _ Well, almost. I think he’s a bit more difficult, and you didn’t freak out about your food touching.  _

“I was not!”

Chuckling, Elsa shrugged. “Of course not. Our mother never had to force you to finish your meal.”  _ Okay, it was usually me making her do it, but I do remember her doing it once. Anna might be right. They were around way less than I thought they were. _

Eating her food to emphasize just how wrong Elsa was, she shot her the occasional mirthful glare, breaking into an outright giggle when Elsa smirked back.

When he’d finally cleaned his plate, after once trying to hide that he hadn’t finished it, Olaf was given his chocolate chip cookie. It lasted about five seconds. “May I be excused to go watch my show?” 

“Yeah, have fun.” Anna ruffled his hair.  _ At least his manners seem to be better. _

“You’re not gonna watch with me?!” His eyes widened.

She bit her lip, turning to Elsa, searching for an excuse. It could wait. Although it didn’t look like a serious discussion was quite what Anna was hoping for. “Go watch it,” Elsa said, before Anna could reply. “You’ve said repeatedly how much you actually like it. I have some paperwork to do. We can talk when it’s over.”

Apparently, she didn’t need to tell Anna twice.  _ I have no idea how she can stand that shit.  _ Elsa took the opportunity to call Mia and find out what happened, as well as just what Anya may have told her.

“Ms. Agnarrsen,” she greeted her. “Sorry, I’m just getting back to the office. One second.”  _ So it's already _ over.  _ That's a good sign.  _ The familiar sound of the elevator door, and the static from the terrible signal in it filled the phone. A minute later, Mia said, “Sorry, I’m back, Ms. Agnarrsen.”

“I’ve told you you can call me Elsa.”

“Sorry, Elsa.”

She leaned back, resting against the headboard, her laptop and a few files to her side. “So, how’d it go?”

She chuckled. “You were right. They didn’t have much grounds. They’re going to drag the case out as long as they can, but the judge didn’t grant them an injunction. You can tell the client if you want – I know you have a strong relationship with her.”

“No. You can talk to her. You’re gonna have to be her lawyer on this case. Jane will understand, just tell her I picked you personally.”

There was only silence for a few long moments. Mia took a sharp breath. “I know it’s none of my business, but what happened? I’ve never known you to avoid a fight, and you’ve gone against her before. Mr. Gaston said she was your ex? Did something more happen?”

_ Fuck. How have I still not figured out what to tell her? I’ve had this whole time.  _ “It’s personal. She has it out for me after Tiana and I split up.”

“You broke up with Tiana?! But she’s – What?”

Elsa snickered. She’d assumed it had been in all of the tabloids by now, and probably a few news shows. “We did. Anya’s still her friend, and she has a pretty bad grudge. I didn’t want to let that affect our client.”  _ That’s actually all true. More or less. I’m so good at lying.  _

“Well, I’m so sorry. This really is none of my business, is it?”

“It’s fine. Thank you for covering for me.”

“Any time, Ms. Agnarrsen. It’s my pleasure.”

“Elsa. Please.”

“Right. Sorry, Elsa.”

With a heavy sigh, Elsa dragged her laptop over to her. “I don’t want to keep you. I’m sure you have work you were already supposed to be doing. Thanks again. I’ll see you soon.”

“All right. Have a good night Ms – Elsa.”

“You too, Mia.”

They hung up, and she turned to her work.  _ Maybe I should’ve called Jane for her, but I already said she could do it.  _ She lost herself in her work, readying for an upcoming trial, a settlement conference, and a couple depositions. The knock on the door startled her. 

Red hair and a bottle of red wine peaked in, before the rest of her girlfriend followed. “Thirsty?” she asked, holding out a pair wine glasses.

_ After today? I could drain a few bottles.  _ “You read my mind.”

White teeth flashed in a jovial grin as Anna flopped onto the bed. She popped the cork and poured them each a healthy glass. “Is everything okay?” 

Elsa shook her head and drained her drink before answering. “Anya was the new lawyer. She’s –” she blew out a breath, “She’s still pissed. She threatened to tell the whole courtroom about us to discredit me.”

“She what?!” Anna startled, almost spilling her drink. 

“Mia took care of it. It’s fine.”  _ For now. _

“But how could she – Why would she? She’s supposed to be your best friend. I thought after she’d had a few weeks to cool off – I’m so sorry, Elsa. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t –” 

Cupping her chin between her thumb and forefinger, Elsa silenced her with a kiss. Anna melted against her, barely righting the wine at the last second, as they pulled apart. 

“What are we going to do?”

“We’ll figure it out,” Elsa lied.

Anna sipped at her drink, staring into the burgundy liquid. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I want this too, I chose this. I love you, Anna.”  _ How things change.  _ She laced her fingers between her partner’s. “You’re worth it.”

“But –” 

“Whatever it takes, we’ll manage.” 

She nodded. “Okay. You’re right.”

Elsa filled their glasses again and pulled Anna to her, running her fingers through her girlfriend’s coppery hair.  “I’ve got you. It’ll be fine.”

“I should be the one consoling you.”

“I’m fine.”

Anna turned back to her, teal eyes locking on hers. “I’m going to fix this.” 

_ Easier said than done.  _ Rather than give her doubts voice, Elsa began kissing down Anna’s neck, forming a wet line to her clavicle, which she greeted with a gentle nibble.

“Elsa –”

“I don’t want to think about it right now. There’s things I would far rather do.” Under her hands, Anna’s shirt fell away, her bra following it. With Anna’s help, she had a lot of stress to work off. She pulled away only long enough to lock the door, and then they took their sweet time, savoring each other’s presence and taste. It did a wonder for Elsa’s mood. If only it could actually solve their problems, then they’d never have to worry again.


End file.
